Playing With Fire
by Seul Desir
Summary: You'll learn not to piss Pyro off. 1st of the Pyro Trilogy.
1. A Little Bit of History

John Allerdyce moseyed down the long hallway in casual strides. There was no point in being early for class, was there? He didn't seem to think so. As he continued to walk, he felt numerous pairs of eyes on him. This, of course, he was used to, and he didn't mind it one bit. Here and there he would glance at girls as they passed him in the hallway; the more bold ones would blow him kisses while the shyer would just giggle to their friends. Feeling his ego expand, he spread out more enticing looks to almost every female in the vicinity, boyfriend present or not. 

Of course, everyone knew Pyro was a flirt. And _everyone_ knew about his huge ego. It wasn't his fault that he was conceited. Manipulating something that causes serious destruction does not make a modest person. Despite his frightening good looks and haughty air, John was actually a very bright student. People that just met him would sometimes brush him off and label him a "loser" or "dumbass", as some people liked to put it. But Pyro had to be one of the most promising students that the school could offer.

Finally, he lazily turned into his first class of the day- History with Ororo Munroe. He almost gagged at the thought. He hated history; why not just leave it where it happened- In the past.

"John." He heard her South African accent cut through his thoughts.

Trying not to smirk, he raised his eyes from his desk to look at his teacher.

"Yes, ma'am?" He almost laughed as she crossed her arms at him and gave him a disapproving look.

"Can you tell me why a leader who is brave is not always as good as a leader who is logical?"

Oh great, the first question of the day was directed toward him.

"Because a brave leader would just ride into battle and be killed, while a logical leader would make up some fancy tactic and _then_ ride into battle and be killed." He didn't phrase it as a question which proved his arrogance even further.

He watched as Ororo unfolded her arms and placed one on her hip. She stared at him with dark eyes and stated shortly, "I suggest you learn."

But the comment was wasted on him, for he wasn't interested in this class anyway. Whoosh! Right over his head. Ororo, however, sensed this and walked back over to his desk. This, Pyro wasn't prepared for. Her voice was pure velvet as she spoke:

"Mr. Allerdyce, I expect a one-thousand word essay by Wednesday on that very topic." She paused for a moment and stared into his eyes, "And please, be logical."

'Oooo.' He thought. 'The woman has spunk.'

Of course he had gotten these types of essay's before, and he did actually do them. Everyone thought that was the strangest thing: he wasn't respectful in class, nor did he do classwork or participate, but he did the long writing assignments that were only assigned to _him_. What people didn't know, was that John was an avid writer. He wrote intricate plots to stories and created poems that flowed beautifully or hit you hard in the face with realization.

Yes, no one really knew who St. John Allerdyce was.

An hour had passed, and _thank god_ that class was over. Now was physics with Professor X; he didn't _dare_ mess around in that class. He had far too much respect for Xavier. Besides that, all of his menacing plots were destroyed by the man's telepathy, so all of his brilliant ideas were in vain. 

For the rest of the day, Pyro wandered to his classes almost like a zombie, but arrogantly, of course. The same routine: hug this girl, wink at that girl, tease this girl, _don't_ look at that girl... Yup, it was a 'day in the life' alright. English was the only class made him have a spring in his step on the way through the corridors. English, of course, was his favorite subject.

As he made his way to his final class, John heard a familiar voice behind him. It dripped with sweetness.

"Hey, Sugah!"

He turned around slowly and saw Rogue trailing behind him. For the first time that day, he smiled a real smile.

"Hey, you. Can I walk you to your class?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "We're only in the same class!"

Naturally, he knew that, but he just liked teasing her. He seemed to get along with Rogue more than anyone in the school. Save Bobby, he was pretty cool.

"No pun intended," He whispered to himself and laughed shortly.

Soon, they found their way to their class and plopped themselves down to get ready for their lesson. John was glad that the day was almost over.

______________________________________

*A/N: Please tell me what you think about the story! I promise, It WILL get better! Please review. Thanks a bunch! 

(June 24, 2003: I have realized that this fic starts out as very misleading. I am really a much better author than this and I hope that you continue to read even though the first chapter isn't necessarily my best work. In fact, it's not even close. But the reviews don't lie... the story gets much, _much_ better.)


	2. Rage

'Finally!' The powerful thought burst through his mind. The day was over. Now he could go about doing things that he actually _liked_ to do!

John sighed as he lifted himself out of his chair and made haste toward the door where students were already piling out of. He had just walked a foot from his desk when his name was called softly.

"John." It was Jean Grey, his English teacher.

He faced in her direction and forced a smile.

"Somethin' I can do for ya, Doc.?" She smiled and walked toward him.

"I know that you enjoy English, but you don't seem to pay attention anyway. Is there something that's troubling you?" Pyro was almost taken aback. She hadn't confronted him before with this type of question. But still, he just shrugged and placed one of his ice-melting smiles on.

"Can't think of a single thing." He watched her slowly nod, catching a glimpse of sadness in her eyes.

"Okay, you're dismissed."

Quickly, John made his way out of the class and up the stairs to his room.

Halfway up the stairs, he was tapped on the shoulder by none other than Jubilation Lee, his for-the-moment girlfriend. For the second time that day, a truthful smile spread across his face.

"Jubes!"

He watched her grin in return as she wrapped him into a big hug.

"And how are you, Gorgeous?" She lightly kissed him on the cheek which he gladly returned on her lips.

"Mmm... much better." She giggled at his teasing behavior and they continued to walk up the stairs. 

"So what did you do today?" But he had already tuned her out. There, right in front of him, heading down the stairs was none other than Raven Thomas, the girl that drove him crazy.

"John? John!"

Pyro shook his head. "I'm sorry Jubes. What were you saying?" But she had already ran up the stairs and to her room. Girls could be so difficult.

Sooner or later, John made his way to his room that he shared with Bobby Drake, also called 'Iceman'. Bobby looked up as he entered the room.

"Hey, man, you look bummed. What's goin' on?"

Pyro shook his head and gave a dismissive wave. "Ah, Jubilee's mad at me again."

Bobby gave a knowing look. "So I guess you snuck a peek at Raven again, huh?" He chuckled, "Don't you think it's time for a rest? You know she's out of your league."

This made John angry, and he turned to face Bobby. "What do you mean 'out of my league'?" Danger flashed across his eyes, but Iceman didn't even wince.

"You know, despite her mutation, she's the Ice Queen! Hell, I'd have a better chance than you!" He blew some frost in Pyro's direction.

John considered for a moment. She had a mutation very similar to his, but it was superior. Unlike him, she could _create_ the flames and control them. Maybe that was why he liked her so much. He shrugged it off and plopped himself down on his bed, reaching underneath to find a magazine. Bobby glanced over curiously.

"What piece of crap are you reading about today?"

Pyro didn't look up, but answered blandly, "How to melt an 'Iceman'. Wanna read?"

Bobby chuckled again as John looked up at him, "Well, if your plans are in there, I might as well so I know what's comin'." Pyro handed over the magazine and they both laughed.

____________  


Rogue's voice was drowned out by the sobs of her friend, Jubilee.

"Jubes... Jube... JUBILEE!" Finally, some attention. "Sugah, you've got to understand somethin': John's with _you_, not Firecat!" Her friend's sobs let up a little. Now wet sniffles could be heard:

"I guess so. But he's _always_ looking at her! I want him to stop. She's so pretty, and I'm..."

"Gorgeous," Rogue interrupted. 

Jubilee raised her head off of Rogue and smiled. "Do you really think so, Marie?"

Rogue smiled, "Not a doubt in my mind."

A scream of joy was followed by a rough hug as Jubilee expressed her thanks to her friend.

"Thank you, Rogue! Thank you!" Rogue felt her lungs giving way. She could barely breathe.

"That's fine, sugah, but mind lettin' a girl breathe?" She was quickly released.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I just... I needed that. Thanks again." Rogue took in a deep breath and smirked.

That's what I'm here for, darlin'. Now, let's go get some ice cream."

Both girls exited the room and walked into the long hallway. In a matter of moments, the worst thing that could have happened, happened.

Raven Thomas strode down the hall with a boy clinging to her arm who was not-so-covertly taking sneak-peeks of her cleavage. She seemed to be oblivious to this, but Jubilee and Rogue certainly were not.

"Geez, what a slut," Jube whispered to Rogue when she thought Firecat was out of earshot. Alas, she should have waited a little longer, for Raven heard her and spun fiercely on her heel.

"What was that, bitch?"

Stunned, Jubilee's eyes widened and her heart started to beat rapidly. With nothing else to do, the girls were forced to turn and face the angry woman. They watched as Raven stalked toward them.

"Did I hear you say something about me, little girl?" She stopped just in front of them. They could feel the heat radiating off of her.

Rogue was the first to speak. She didn't like rude people.

"Why don't you back off, Raven? You're not worth our time." Rogue's left hand moved to her right glove, preparing to whip it off if necessary to stun the girl in front of them. Jubilee, however, was on the verge of tears. Firecat didn't miss the opportunity to comment on that.

"Aww... is the wittle baby gonna cwy?" Then a murderous look crossed her face. "I suggest you run away to your boyfriend. But I'm sure he's out with some _pretty_ girl. I can't imagine what a hunk like that is doing with _you_."

That was the last straw, Jubilee couldn't hold back her anger any more; she landed a hard blow to the red-head's face, making a mark of an even deeper red. Raven touched the spot gently and sneered.

"You're gonna pay for that, bitch."

Quicker than anyone could move, Firecat sent a kick right into Jubilee's stomach, knocking the wind out of her. Rogue ran over to her in panic. She clasped the Jubilee's wrist and felt her pulse. Rage built inside of Rogue and she glared daggers at Raven.

"You could have killed her! What the hell were you thinking?" Her exclamations opened several doors in the hallway with curious heads that poked out. Firecat only laughed, but the sound was cruel.

"You think you're a match for me? And that little rat- she doesn't _deserve_ Pyro."

And that hit Rogue like a semi. 'How _dare_ she.' She ran up to Raven and slapped her across the face. It was quickly followed by a fist that connected with her upper-lip. Blood trickled down her face and stained her white blouse. The fight progressed for some time when Rogue just couldn't take it anymore; she removed one of her gloves.

"Don't fuck with me."

And with that, Raven backed away.


	3. Fight Fire with Ice

John and Bobby's ears perked up to loud screams and _thumps _that seemed to come from the girl's hallway.

"You think they're havin' a pillow fight?" Bobby snickered. John, however, was a little more concerned.

"No, man," He hastily slid off of his bed, throwing his comic book to the floor, "I think they're havin' a _real _fight."

Both guys exchanged glances and ran furiously out of the room and toward the girl's dorms. When they got there, they couldn't believe what was before their eyes. 

"Jubilee!" John yelled.

"Rogue!" Bobby followed suite.

Both men ran towards their girlfriends and asked what had happened.

"We just got in a fight, that's all." Jubilee made her voice sound tougher than she really felt.

Pyro noticed a large bruise starting to form on her face. He pulled her into a tight hug and immediately pulled back.

"Ow!"

John's eyes widened in concern. "Jubes, what's wrong?" He watched in horror as she lifted up part of her shirt to expose a very large bruise that was already black and purple.

"It's not that bad." She tried to smile, but grimaced. John became infuriated.

"Who did this?" He spoke through his teeth. And then a sultry voice sounded behind him:

"I did." 

The familiar voice spun his head around and he laid his eyes on none other than Raven Thomas.

Now he felt so small. What was he going to do? The girl he lusted after just pummeled his girlfriend! Pyro was speechless and Bobby had to cover for him.

"What the hell makes you think you can just start fights, Raven?" He saw her eyes flicker with anger.

"No. Don't accuse _me_. Ask _them_ what started it." Bobby's eyes floated over to Rogue and she looked down at the floor. Her lip was still bleeding, and her clothes were stained terribly.

"Jubilee and I were on our way to gettin' ice cream when we saw Raven and one of her 'toys' walkin' toward us. Now, Jubes was still pretty upset about earlier, so she made a snide comment about Raven, not thinkin' she could hear. But she did, and then trash-mouthed us."

Pyro couldn't get his jaw to re-hinge. The impact of the situation still hadn't fully dawned on him. All he knew was that he had to make an impossible decision. He ran his fingers lightly through Jubilee's hair and kissed her cheek.

"Everything's gonna be ok, Jubes. Don't worry." He felt tears hit his arm and he shushed her calmly.

Rogue wanted so much to just touch Raven. Just a couple seconds and she would be dead. But Rogue was better than that- she knew that, and she couldn't let herself sink to the level that Raven was on. As quickly as she could, she explained the situation to Bobby. Luckily, he seemed to side with them, and she felt much better. 

Iceman turned his head toward Raven and glared at he. "Why don't you just leave, Thomas? You're not wanted here." But as soon as he said that, a sharp voice almost made him jump:

"Shut up, Bobby!"

All heads in the hallway faced Pyro as he expressed his opinion of the situation.

"It was Jubilee's fault this happened, not Raven's. Rogue, _you_ should have stopped her." All mouths dropped except for Firecat's; she seemed to be enjoying this immensely. Her full lips twisted into a dark smirk and fire seemed to dance in her eyes. 

Bobby jumped up to defend his girlfriend. "What are you talkin' about, John? You can't blame this on your own girlfriend! And you sure as hell can't yell at Rogue for not being able to stop it!" He watched as Pyro stood up, not-so-gently releasing Jubilee. John stepped closer to him, his face inches from Bobby's.

"You wanna make somethin' of it, _Iceman_?" John breathed his name with contempt, but Bobby stood his ground.

"No, John. Why don't you grow up and realize the situation?" He pointed a finger at Raven, "And who you're defending!" 

Suddenly, a fierce blow knocked Bobby into the nearest wall. Gasps could be heard from all around, and doors were being shut wildly. No one wanted to mess with a guy fight. This could get ugly. 

Bobby touched his face gingerly and looked at his friend in bewilderment.

"Why would you do that?" Pyro's heated temper did not subside. 'Oh shit.' Bobby thought. He knew that once John was angry, he didn't think clearly. He might just have to fight his way out of this one and pray that nothing _too_ bad happened.

"Now think about this, John." Bobby warned his friend, "You're losing a girlfriend and two friends here. Not to mention," He gestured toward all of the doors around him, "everyone's gonna be afraid of you!" This didn't seem to matter to Pyro now. Bobby knew that it was time to fight whether he liked it or not.

In a flash, Pyro had his lighter out; he ignited it and let the flame rest just above the palm of his hand. Bobby knew fighting with their mutations would be in vain. Fire against Ice? They neutralized each other- canceled each other out. This would be a fistfight for sure. But Pyro didn't seem to realize this and he threw the ball of fire toward Bobby. Quickly, Bobby raised his hand and a stream of ice protruded from his palm, enveloping the flame; it dropped to the floor with a defeated _thump_. Iceman could tell that this annoyed Pyro beyond belief, so he tried to reason again:

"John, this isn't gonna work. We're too equally matched! Why don't we just..." 

But his peace making was in vain, for John simply wasn't listening. From inside of his pocket, he pulled out several matches and struck them all simultaneously on the wall behind him.

'One match for each finger,' Pyro thought as he let the flames dance on his fingertips.

Then casually, he directed his fingers toward his open palm, and let the five balls of fire fall roll down the length of his fingers. They all met in the middle and combined to make one massive flame. John placed one hand over the ball and slid his palm across it. The ball immediately became flat, then circular as he traced around the edges. Soon, he had a disk the size of Bobby's head. Then without hesitation, Pyro let the disk fly at Bobby. 

All Bobby could see was the scene happening in slow motion. The flaming disk was spinning toward his face, and there was nothing that he could do. He sharply turned his head, trying to get out of the way, but the disk grazed his cheek, instantaneously creating a horrendous gash. Bobby screamed and fell to the floor. Pyro stood over him, another fireball in hand. Bobby had to do something! 

Without thinking, Bobby raised his hand with all of his strength and unleashed a massive torrent of ice that encompassed Pyro's entire body. With one last look at his accomplishment, he fell unconscious.


	4. Apology to Start the End

John woke with a start. Where was he? Oh. This was the Med Lab. But... what was he doing there? He shivered and rubbed his arms furiously; his body was freezing cold although he was tightly wrapped in thick blankets. Noticing that he was shirtless... 

'No,' He corrected himself, 'Naked.' He had no choice but to stay on the lab table until someone came to get him.

He had no memory of what happened or why he was in the Lab. Lazily, he yawned and scratched his head. That seemed to trigger a memory.

_Bobby, on the floor, a huge gash on his left cheek, dripping... no... gushing blood._

Was this just his mind playing tricks on him?

'No.' A powerful thought came. It was not his own internal voice, but that of his professor

The metallic door in front of him slid open to reveal no one else but Professor Xavier. John sat up immediately, in respect, and regretted it for his head began to burn furiously.

"The side effects are only temporary." Now the man in the wheelchair's speaking voice shone through. "You can't tell me that you have no recollection of what happened?"

John peered at his professor quizzically. "Sir," He began, licking his lips, "I... I wish I knew." He vigorously rubbed his hands together, trying to cease the chill, but nothing worked.

Xavier nodded slowly and began to refresh him on the occurrences of the previous night.

Suddenly, John was horrified. He whisked his numb hands to his face and shook his head in disbelief.

"Why would I do that?" His professor only gave him an empty glare. Slowly, he directed his wheelchair closer to John and silently ordered him to bend his head so that Xavier could reach. John obeyed. He felt only a slight pressure in the back of his eyes as Professor X searched through the tomes of his disturbed mind.

It seemed like no time at all when the minute pressure ceased and it was silent.

John didn't like silence- Especially when it involved an adult; they always seemed to be studying him, searching for any way that he was weak. He didn't like that at all. But with the Professor, it was somewhat different. The only emotion he felt around Prof. X was safety. No one could harm him while such a powerful entity was present. Just then, a metallic _whoosh_ filled his ears and his eyes raced up to see who was entering the room.

It was Bobby.

_Bobby. The gash. Fire. The disk. Ice._

It was all falling into place now, and John became utterly horrified about what he had done. His eyes could have felt watery, but they clung to his eyelids in need of liquid to move. He stared at the stitches, the many stitches on his best friend's face. This was not right. Something was _not_ right. He watched as Bobby stopped somewhat behind Xavier, keeping careful distance away from the table on which John sat.

_Disgrace._

John tried to open his blue, trembling lips, but they were frozen in place. So he had done this to Bobby. That huge slash that adorned Bobby's face was his fault. That wound would become a scar.

'A scar of hatred, no doubt,' John thought fiercely, feeling the cold melt from his boiling thoughts.

Still, silence enveloped them all, and John knew that neither of the men in front of him would speak unless he started. So he did.

"Bob... Man, I..." His voice choked as if his windpipe were coated with ice. Evidently, it was, for Xavier spoke:

"Why don't we get you into some warm clothes and then the both of you can go to a private room to talk?" Bobby watched John nod before he did the same. "Excellent." Xavier said, "I'll fetch some tea."

That was twenty minutes ago. Now it's now, and John was feeling like himself again. Only at this very moment did he decide to speak.

"Bob, I just wanted to say that..." He sighed. He'd never gotten into a 'power-fight' with Bobby before, and now he was apologizing for a world-full of pain. Talk about a huge step. He took a big breath and looked his friend right in the eye.

"I'm sorry."

He watched Bobby slowly nod, taking in the sincerity of the words.

"I'm sorry, too."

This startled Pyro and he began to feel uncomfortable. "What are you sorry for?" He asked curiously. Bobby retained the eye contact.

"For freezing you. I really didn't have a choice. You were going to kill me!" John shook his head at his own behavior. Was he really going to kill Bobby? But his thoughts progressed no further for Iceman began to talk again.

"You really hurt Jubilee, you know. Everyone in the school is freaked! Rogue's been trying to console her, but nothing works. Jubes is a mess, 'Ro; you've gotta sort it out." Pyro considered this and came up with the only decision that would make everything right again.

"I'm going to have to break-up with her." John sensed that Bobby had feared this for his eyes immediately hit the floor and examined the Egyptian style throw rug with a 500-thread count. But what other option was there?

'None.' Pyro told himself. 'Just take it easy and everything will be okay.'

__________  


Meanwhile, Jubilation Lee was in a fit of hysterics.

"WHY? Why did he do this to me?" She threw her alarm clock at the wall beside the door and fell backwards onto her bed. Immediately, she connected with something hard and she whisked her hand to up examine the damage. Rogue, sensing that this was as calm as Jubilee was going to get, didn't pass the opportunity to talk:

"Honey, you need to calm down! Now, Ah've told you 'n told you that John was too 'hot-tempered' for you! Remember: he's got them rage issues! It's not your fault." Her voice fell to a mere whisper as she said the last sentence.

Quickly, Rogue walked over to where Jubilee still sat clutching her head. Wrapping her in a big hug, Rogue smirked and said, "Besides. You're not going to _believe_ who is coming for a visit!"

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Rogue exchanged a small glance with Jubilee as if to say, 'I'll tell you later', before she got up and twisted the knob.

"Hey, John. Yeah, she's here. Come in."

John carefully walked through the door that Rogue held open. His eyes, at once, found Jubilee, wiping away old tears and trying to disguise the fact that she was. Cautiously, he stepped forward and sat on the bed opposite from the girl in yellow.

"Jubes," He cooed softly, "I'm sorry." That was the second time he said sorry that day, and it would be his last truthful time he'd say it to anyone at the mansion.

Her watery eyes floated up to meet his gaze. "John, you really hurt me." Her sobbing threatened to break through.

"Jubes, I didn't know what I was doing. I swear to you that I never intentionally meant to hurt you." He paused for a moment, realizing that he sounded like the soap operas that she had made him watch one too many times before. Shaking that thought away, he focused on a new one.

'None of that matters. This is how I feel.' He outstretched his hand toward hers and watched as she shakily offered hers in return. He tried to speak, but Jubilee stopped him.

"No," She said coolly, "Let me."

Pyro smiled, amused at her audacity. She didn't want to be dumped. So she would get rid of _him_.

'Fine.' John internally agreed with the situation. 'If that's what she wants, that's what she gets.' And that is exactly what happened.

A few minutes later, after a few sort words and last hugs, John left the room, a smirk still playing on his lips. A matching one danced on Jubilee's. All was right, and that's the way it should be.

But little did they know, that things would only go downhill from there.  



	5. An Interlude

Hey everyone! I just wanted to take this time to thank each and every one of you personally for reading and reviewing my story! 

________________________________________________

Heath 999: You were my first signed review, and I thank you for that!

UbsessedWitFire: Yes, Pyro DOES Rock! Lol... And I'm sorry that I scared you in chapter 3 ;) 

Faith: Sorry Rogue didn't get to stun Firecat! :( And I bet you're happy that Bobby is okay. :) You mentioned I had mistakes? Mind tellin' me where? Thanks!

Orli-Ryro: You give me reviews longer than I deserve! And I thank you profusely! It's not my fault that Pyro is so cocky; don't blame me! Lol... It was actually in his normal personality that the creators of X-Men established for him. Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry that I crushed your Pyro/Rogue Fic, but I have better plans. (I'm sure you will agree when I get there!)

Pyromaniac: Rofl... Yes, we need a cat fight once in a while! And the plot will thicken even more... just wait!

Christy S: Thank you for reading my story and noting my characterization. It means a lot to me that I get the characters straight and don't disappoint the fans! Will he end up with Raven? You'll just have to find out!

Rogue-Obsessed: Don't down your stories just because you've read mine! I really like your stories! It just happens that I'm a perfectionist when it comes to writing, and when I make a mistake, I beat myself with a bamboo pole! Or not... but you get it! :) Let's see if you can predict my ending.

Tigereyes: You are hysterical. I love your reviews, and I'm glad the story has such an... Impact on you! Just wait to see how steep this hill gets! Thanks for reading!

WildWolvie: Thank you for your comments on my story! Thank you for your comments on my story! (Rofl... since you reviewed me with the same reply twice, I figured I would!) :-D Anyway, I really appreciate the reviews, and thank you so much for reading!

Swifty1125: YES! THERE IS MORE! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA! *cough* ahem... 

Nat: Wow... my story kicks ass?! Lol... thank you so much for the review!

Melodie, Mim, Rebekah, Chloe, asd, and Bazzer: You all replied anonymously, so I don't really know who you are! Lol... I want to thank all of you for reading my story, and I hope that you continue to read to find out what happens! 

And here is what you've all been waiting for....

THE NEXT CHAPTER....  



	6. Encounters

*A/N: Hey everyone! I want to thank you all for reading my story and taking the time to review! If there are any Firecat fans out there, I'm really sorry that she's such a bitch in my fic. But someone's gotta do it, right? Anyway, here is the next chapter. I hope you like it!

_______________________________________________________

Due to the previous occurrences, school was canceled for the day. Xavier and the rest of the professors felt that the students needed some time to calm their nerves and to get their story straight.

There were many rumors floating around, such as: John and Bobby were fighting over Rogue, Jubilee had cheated on John, Raven used a knife on Rogue and Jubilee- things of that nature. Of course, none of them were true, but that's why they were rumors.

John plopped himself down on one of the couches in the den and closed his eyes.

_He had been dumped._

Surprisingly, it didn't feel as bad as he would have imagined. He had never been dumped before so this was a new feeling, a new experience. He let his mind wander for a while, thinking about which girl he would go out with next.

Would it be her?

_No._

Her?

_Maybe._

Her?

_Definitely not!_

And then his mind lingered over a person that he had been thinking of quite often.

Raven Thomas.

Now _she_ was a sight! With that scorching red hair and those captivating green eyes, she could make any guy fall head-over-heels.

'No,' John warned himself. 'You can't even _think_ about Raven! You know it'll never work.'

But somehow, that just drew him to her even more. Suddenly, he felt another person's presence next to him and he opened his eyes, relaxing as he saw who it was.

"Hey, Bobby," he said nonchalantly. His friend looked at him with an intense stare, which made John slightly uneasy. "Man, what's wrong? Is this about yesterday? Because I told you I was..."

"John, don't say it. I know." Iceman held up his hand and gave Pyro a serious look. He sighed and John suddenly felt like he didn't like this situation. Bobby spoke again:

"Listen, 'Dyce, we all really need to know if you're still with us." John narrowed his eyes in confusion at the man in front of him.

He smirked and said, "What do you mean, Bob?" Iceman just shook his head. It looked like his thoughts really pained him and it took everything in him to speak.

"Are we all still friends; are you still apart of the X-Men?"

It was all falling together. They didn't want him here! John felt the fury boil inside of him.

'How _dare_ they!'

He jumped out of his seat and screamed, "What the hell are you talking about? What, you don't think I'm _loyal_ or as _good_ as you? Well, listen _Iceman_, I'm ten times as strong as you, and I'll prove it!" Without another word, Pyro stormed away, leaving a confused Bobby to himself.

Bobby Drake just sat there for a moment, soaking up his friend's reaction.

'He'll prove it?' This didn't sound good at all. Bobby turned around and saw Professor Xavier sitting in the corner. Had he been there the whole time? A nod from the professor told him that his assumption was correct. The wheelchair was now next to Bobby and Xavier gave him a knowing look but didn't speak. Bobby, however, did.

"He's got somethin' wrong with him, Professor. I don't know what it is! One minute, he's fine then the next he's stark-raving mad- a lunatic! He took what I said completely out of context and I don't know why."

Xavier just nodded his head and sat in silence for a moment. Then he spoke:

"It's not his fault, Bobby. St. John cannot control his temper as we can. When he fights, his mind clouds and right and wrong do not mean a thing. He fights for one thing and one thing only."

Bobby waited for a continuation of his professor's words but none came. Instead, Bobby asked, "But what does he fight for, Professor?"

Xavier shook his head. "That, I am afraid, is a mystery that I do not know. I highly doubt if Mr. Allerdyce even has the slightest idea either. But all we can do is try to help him."

Bobby stared at his professor, not being able to contain his surprise.

"But Sir! When we try to help him, he only gets worse! There's nothing we can do. He'll be with the Brotherhood before any of us knows it! We are postponing the inevitable. This is a lost cause."

Xavier's comforting voice flowed through Bobby's ears. "As long as he is within reach, all is not lost." With that, Xavier patted Iceman on the shoulder and left the room. Bobby, yet again, was left to himself to ponder the fate of his friend.

___________  


Rogue bounced up and down on her bed happily, making funny faces at Jubilee.

"You'll never guess in a million years, Jubes! NEVER!" Jubilee only smiled at her friend and tried to guess.

"Is it a guy?" Rogue nodded fiercely.

"Does he have black hair?" Rogue shook her head.

"Blue eyes?" Jubilee heard Rogue laugh:

"Not at all!" A small thought crossed Jubilee's mind:

"Is he foreign?"

Rogue's smile spread even further across her red face. Jubilee was also beginning to feel excited.

"Is he hot?"

Rogue fell onto her bed in hysterics. "Yes! Yes he _is!_" Jubes jumped off her bed and tried to stare Rogue in the eye.

"Is it _really_?"

Rogue couldn't hold it in any longer. "Yes! It is!" Then all that could be heard was the giddy laughter of two teenagers screaming.

___________  


Raven Thomas walked out of her dorm room and sneered at the closed door of Rogue and Jubilee's room.

'What the hell could they be doing?' As far as she was concerned, they were a waste of her time and there was no reason to let her thoughts dwell on such people. With not so much as another glance in their direction, Raven made her way through the hallway and headed for the stairs.

_Crash!_

She instantly collided with someone and felt herself hit the ground.

"Watch where you're going, dickweed!" Raven spat as she picked herself up. She immediately regretted it as she looked into the eyes of Pyro.

"Nice to see you too, Raven." He smiled at her and she almost cracked one herself.

He was so hot! Then she really did smirk, but realized that he was still attached to that whiney little girl. So, casually, she brushed past him and turned the corner.

Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed her wrist.

"Where do you think you're going?" Firecat looked at him in surprise. She turned her body to face him and stepped a bit closer.

"Somewhere where I can be of service." She licked her lips seductively and smiled. "Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend?" She raised her eyebrows at him and awaited an answer.

"We broke up."

Raven was almost taken aback at the casual reply, but then her selfish thoughts intervened and she traced a finger across his jaw.

"Oh, really?"

Jubilee yanked on Rogue's gloved arms to make her stop laughing.

"When does he come?" Rogue's face hurt from laughing and her face was a light crimson.

"Tonight, six o'clock! He told me so! Oh, I can't wait to see him!" Jubilee looked at the clock. It was noon.

"Well, we'd better get ready if he's gonna be here in six hours!" Rogue agreed by nodding her head vigorously. They both hopped up and ran to their closets, hoping to find something that would appeal to their guest.

Five-thirty.

The two frantic girls ran around their room in a rush, adding more accessories, replacing, subtracting, putting on makeup, spraying perfume, but both were assured that it would be worth it. Soon, he would knock on the door and they just couldn't wait.

___________  


Pyro woke up and rubbed his eyes. Where was he? Lazily, he looked to his right and there was Raven, naked beside him. He looked down at himself and noticed that he too was the same. Ah, yes, he remembered. Did he feel any regret, any remorse? Should he? The truth was, he felt great. There was no one to confine him or restrict him. He had just had sex with the most beautiful girl he had ever seen and completely exhausted her. He felt no anger, no worry, and no sadness. Did he really care for Raven?

'Hell no!' He thought to himself. 'She's a bitch!'

Slowly, he rolled off of the bed and donned his jeans and T-shirt and quietly slipped out the door.

He hadn't used her, had he? No. She was used so much, it hardly even mattered any more.

Now convinced, Pyro thought about what he wanted to do. Privately, he had been sick of school, sick of his friends. What he really wanted was adventure, no rules, and no boundaries. But where would he get that? Surely the professors would keep him right where he was and give him nothing that he wanted. He sighed and scratched his neck. He would find what he wanted in good time.

Pyro hastily took the stairs two at a time, preparing to swing around the banister, speeding him into the next room, but when he got to the bottom, he heard a loud knock at the door in front of him. Looking around to see if anyone else was going to get it, he approached the door and pulled it open.

John was met by a tall man with a definite build, and dark glasses shaded his eyes despite the hour. John caught his breath in his throat as he realized who this was; he felt like Bobby had frozen him again and his mouth only let him utter a single word:

"Gambit?"


	7. The Fire Within

"Gambit?" John's throat could not release any more words. What the hell was Remy doing here? He hoped he wasn't here because he yelled at Rogue...

_'Oh, shit.'_

Pyro's heart skipped a beat inside of his chest. He knew that Rogue and Remy were good friends. How good, he wasn't sure. But if Gambit got word that Pyro was trash-talkin' his girl, John would be in a whole load of trouble.

The man in the doorway still stood there, one arm up against a wall.

"Is it custom to make ev'ryone wai' ou'side?" He watched as the boy in front of him rapidly moved out of the way and gestured him inside.

"I'm sorry, Remy. I just wasn't expecting you." John smiled sheepishly and Gambit gave him a knowing look.

"Is okay, I t'ink. Not many people know I am here." Pyro smiled again, and was about to ask a question, but loud thumps from the top of the stairwell attracted his attention.

Rogue and Jubilee squealed and smiled broadly at each other as they walked down the hall. Both girls composed themselves, however, before they turned the corner. Jubilee went down first and Rogue wasn't far behind. Both of the girls' mouths stood open as they got closer and closer to Gambit.

John stood by Remy, dumbfounded. Jubilee looked absolutely stunning! Her dark hair was up in a bun with two strands dangling freely by her soft face, and she wore a form-fitting yellow dress that made John gawk. Jubilee noticed this, and took her time in getting down the stairs as to let her ex-boyfriend stare some more. She heard a small giggle behind her as Rogue realized what her friend was doing. Finally, they reached the end of the stairs and both girls stood in front of Gambit.

"Ah! My bee-utiful gi'ls! You did not dress dis way fo' moi, eh?" He casually removed his glasses, exposing his unique red-on-black eyes. Rogue pursed her lips and tried to play coy by saying, 'Why, I wouldn't eva imagine dressin' this way for you!' But her real intentions took over and she threw her gloved arms around Gambit and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"Ah missed you," she whispered into his ear. He kissed her lightly on the cheek, feeling a small effect of her mutation.

"An' I 'ave miss'd my Rogue."

Jubilee stood back and watched the two in amused silence. They were so cute together! It was too bad that Bobby was such a nice guy...

But her thoughts were derailed as a huge set of arms enveloped her in an enormous hug.

"An' Jubi-lee! It is a ple'sure to see you a-gain, chérie." Jubilee could only smile as the friendly Cajun squeezed her tightly. She wished that she could see the look on John's face...

___________  


From his seat in the media room, Bobby could hear loud voices. One sounded like Jubilee while the other sounded like Rogue. Curiously, he made his way toward the sounds, turning a couple of corners and following a narrow hallway. When he was sure of where they were, he peeked around the corner and felt his heart sink.

Rogue was clutched in another man's arms. And she was laughing and smiling.

'He kissed her!' Bobby screamed silently. 'How dare he.'

Iceman gritted his teeth and intently watched the scene before him. Now the man swept Jubilee into an embrace and Bobby noticed that Pyro was present, and he didn't look too thrilled.

John turned away as Jubilee hugged Gambit. His eyes wandered on the floor for a minute, but sensing some movement, they darted in another direction. Peeking around the corner was none other than Bobby Drake. Pyro sighed. He wanted to go apologize, but why should he? He was the one who was being rejected by everyone at the mansion! Everyone should apologize to _him_. Just then, a foreign voice spoke his name.

"Pie-ro? Is dat righ'?"

John felt the sudden urge to jump on Gambit and punch his teeth in. But wryly, he smiled.

"Yes. _Pyro_." He watched the two girls that clung to Gambit glare at him with the utmost contempt. Pyro's blood boiled and he just couldn't take it any more. He _wasn't_ going to take it. He couldn't. But maybe for a little longer.

And then there she was.

Firecat strolled down the stairs in tight leather pants and an even tighter black shirt.

"Why'd you leave, Pyro? I thought you were up for another round." She reached the bottom stair and licked her lips, her eyes moving over his entire body. "You know, you're even hotter _without_ your clothes on."

And that started it.

Jubilee screamed, "You hedonistic bitch! You're such a goddamn whore!" Jubilee unattached herself from Gambit and ran full speed at Firecat who just stood there, smirking.

"Jubilee!" The four other voices cried in a desperate attempt to save her, but their efforts were futile.

Bobby ran from around the corner and stood next to Pyro.

"What's going on here?"

John only sneered, "Oh look who it is- Mr. I'm too fucking good for everyone else. Why don't you take your charity-ass and..." The next thing John knew was picking himself off of the floor; blood trickled from the new cut on his lip. He touched the spot gently and pulled back his finger to examine the crimson liquid. He smiled and placed the finger in his mouth, sucking the blood off.

"You really shouldn't have done that."

And then all of the tension that was held in everyone burst out and contaminated the atmosphere; it seemed that everyone was angrier than they appeared.

Jubilee still screamed at Raven, her hands grasping Firecat's throat; she shook the redhead back and forth.

"You bitch! You ruined us! You ruined us!" Tears streamed down Jubilee's face but the only sound that was emitted from Raven was an eerie laugh.

Bobby blocked a punch from Pyro and jabbed him hard in the stomach. John doubled over in pain and Bobby quickly brought his elbow down on Pyro's back.

"Stop it! Stop it, both of you!" Rogue frantically tried to pull Bobby away, but he pushed her aside and continued to beat John. Now Gambit tried to help by lifting Jubilee off of Raven.

"Chérie, she is not wort' your time! Le' go!" But Jubilee refused and kicked hard. Raven still laughed.

Finally, Remy was able to pull Jubilee off of Firecat. He tried to talk to her, but she was shaking and crying so hard that he doubted that she could hear him. He settled with slowly stroking her hair.

Meanwhile, Pyro had regained composure and kicked Bobby hard in his side, making him fall to the ground. John stood over Bobby and smiled; his hand reached for his lighter inside of his pocket. Quickly, he sparked it and watched as the flame flickered under his heavy breathing.

"Now I'll finish what I started..." But a shock of pain coursed through him, causing him to drop his lighter. He reeled on the floor in agony.

"What the hell was that?" His exclamation squeaked as he tried to stand up.

Remy walked over to Pyro and grabbed him by his hair.

"Why you cause so much trouble? Dat was not a good idea, I t'ink." John spit at Remy and was met with more excruciating pain. Another terrible jolt ran through his body, making him scream again.

"What are you doing to me?"

Remy only smiled. "You nee' to be taugh' a lesson, Pie-Ro."

Just as Gambit was about to use his power again, he was knocked away by a pair of strong legs, which caused him to fly into the nearest wall.

Rogue, Jubilee, Pyro, and Bobby watched as Remy sailed across the room. The girls stared at Raven with murder in their eyes.

"We're gonna kill you, Firecat!" Both Jubilee and Rogue advanced on Raven but quickly stopped.

She wasn't Raven Thomas anymore. The girl had changed shape and now she was... blue?


	8. Imposter

Everyone in the room stood in silence as they watched the beautiful girl in front of them turn blue. Mouths were all agape and everyone stumbled when they tried to speak. Rogue and Jubilee were closest but their feet felt like iron and they would not allow them to move. Their eyes were fixated on the manipulating intruder.

Pyro just stood in his place, a wave of shame and embarrassment flowing over him.

_Raven_.

What had she done with Raven? Who was this terrible creature that had revealed herself before them? He remembered the previous hours that he had spent with this girl. _But it really_ _wasn't this girl_.

He felt raped.

He felt like an asshole.

He was a disgrace once again.

All John wanted to do was bury his face in his hands and cry. He knew that that option was weak and would bring him even more shame, but maybe it was something that he needed to do.

The blue creature smiled evilly at all of the stunned faces in front of her. How wonderful it was to captivate everyone's attention without even saying a word! But now she would have to. If she was going to do this, she had to do it right. Casually, she inched her way forward- that seemed to trigger everyone's thought process.

"What are you doing here, Mystique?" Jubilee's voice shook. She was only met with a cold, steely glare. Mystique continued to make her way forward, but Rogue quickly tore off her glove and thrust her hand in the woman's direction.

"Don't you dare! Go back to where you came from,Mystique!" But the shape shifter only cocked her head, simultaneously producing a small cloth from behind her back.

In a flash, Mystique's hand, protected by the cloth, whipped around and caught Rogue's arm.

_Twist_.

Rogue cried out in pain, which might as well have been a signal for another fight to begin.

Gambit was the first to move, energizing small objects from his coat pockets and expertly throwing them at Mystique. The small pieces of paper glittered with energy as they sliced through the air toward the shape shifter. As expertly as Gambit had thrown them, Mystique dodged them. Seeming to pinpoint where every card would fly, she pushed herself into a handstand and twisted her body around to let some of the objects flutter past her. Then her legs formed a perfect split as five more cards whisked right by where her slender legs had once been.

Sensing no more attacks at the moment, Mystique arched her back and returned to her legs, finishing her show of grace with a challenging smile that danced on her blue lips. She gestured to all of them in a 'come and get me' wave.

Gambit and Jubilee rose to the challenge, as Bobby had immediately rushed over to Rogue. The man took his stance as Jubilee removed her earrings and tossed them aside. Fighting in a dress would be hard, but it was her duty to eradicate whoever chose to threaten the X-Men.

Then the fight between the three mutants commenced.

Bobby watched in horror at the scene before him as he cradled Rogue in his arms. He had torn his over-shirt off of himself and wrapped it around his girlfriend's broken arm, which was bleeding profusely. Students had begun to scramble out of their rooms to see what was going on, but most of them decided that that particular motion wasn't intelligent, and returned to their dorms. The ones who remained were wide-eyed as they observed the graceful member of the Brotherhood as she escaped every attack. Even two mutants were no match for her.

Iceman was beginning to panic; Rogue was unconscious from loss of blood.

"Someone get help! Go find a Professor!" Hearing the urgency in their schoolmate's voice, some students rushed away in search of an adult.

'Hopefully,' Bobby thought, 'they will get here in time.' For Rogue's sake, yes, but for everyone else as well.

John just huddled near the front door and watched the spectacle before him. Should he help? What should he do? He really wished Professor X were around somewhere. But of course not; he'd be going over important papers in his luxurious office, sitting in his wingback chair sipping cognac. Pyro shook his head furiously. Who should he help? The blue mutant was outnumbered, but he was part of the X-Men! Questions reeled through his mind as the fight still progressed.

Gambit received a powerful kick to his groin, forcing him to double over in anguish. Mystique took this opportunity to plant a nice front-kick to his cranium, causing Remy to fly backward, almost into Bobby and Rogue.

Now Jubilee faced Mystique alone, watching as the shape shifter sized her up. Suddenly, Mystique jumped forward, her fist balled tightly. Panicked, Jubilee hastily outstretched her hand and emitted a stream of fireworks into her attacker's eyes.

"Aah!" Mystique recoiled and rubbed her burning eyes. She'd been blinded! The girl in yellow didn't take any time in advancing on her weakened opponent. Swiftly, she dropkicked Mystique, sending her falling to the floor. Again, Jubilee advanced but this time backhanded the mutant with such force that Mystique had to grit her teeth to keep her cries from escaping.

Pyro watched as Jubilee produced a small blade from underneath her dress. She twirled it in her fingers for a moment and then poised it directly above Mystique.

"No!" He cried and ran toward Jubilee, knocking the knife to the floor. Quickly he grabbed Mystique's hand and pulled her into him. Gasps and small whispers were exchanged above him as his classmates pointed and stared from the top of the staircase. He held Mystique closer and then all was silent.

The shape shifter stirred as her vision was regained. Her yellow eyes peered out from blue eyelids and connected with John's.

"Why are you doing this?" John was taken aback by her words and he fumbled for something to say. It wasn't as if she was searching for sympathy, but testing him with her words.

"I don't know. I... I didn't want to see you get hurt." Pyro watched her yellow eyes sharpen as her vision was fully restored. She raised herself up a little and whispered quietly into his ear.

_"I know what you want."_

John's eyes narrowed as her eerie voice flowed into his ears.

This woman, however, intrigued him and he replied silkily, "How do you know what I want?"

She pulled away from him slightly and smiled that bone-chilling smile.

_"Because I'm here to give it to you."_ John didn't like her vagueness.

He sighed, "Okay, I'll bite. What can you give me?"

Mystique licked her lips and trailed her hand inside of his shirt. "Follow me and I'll tell you."

Carefully, John rose and watched Mystique do the same. Everyone that was still able to move flinched but John waved the matter aside.

"Everyone get out of here. I'll be back later." And with Mystique still clinging to his arm, he made his way safely out the front door.

Ororo Munroe and Scott Summers ran into the room, just moments later, almost breathless.

"What's going on here?" Scott asked, authority ringing in his deep voice. He let his covered eyes wander around and he did not like what he saw. Ororo was just thinking the same thing. Her eyes picked up the unmistakable puddles of blood and the two adults darted toward Rogue.

Scott ran over to Bobby and asked him what had happened. Somewhat shakily, Bobby told Scott and Ororo everything he had seen: The fight, Mystique, Pyro... everything. He watched as the both of them just nodded sadly. Cyclops gestured to Iceman to hand over Rogue. Bobby hesitated before letting his girlfriend go, but he realized that he must.

"Everyone get to bed!" Storm yelled to the people on the stairs. "And you," She gently spoke to Jubilee and Gambit, who had just regained consciousness, "Come with me to the MedLab."

_______________  


From his personal office, Xavier stared at the flames that danced in the fireplace. Slowly, he closed his eyes and let himself feel the intense heat. For once, a situation came up where he had to let it run its course and he could not interfere. He hoped silently, however, that his pupil would make the right decision.


	9. Bestow the Blame upon Thyself

*A/N: I want to thank everyone *again* for reading this story! You guys are WONDERFUL! And to Orli: No offense taken at all! ;) Anyway, whoever asked questions in their reviews for chapter 8... They will be answered soon!

________________________________________________________  


John led Mystique out into the night as she still clung to his arm.

"So," He began with some nervousness in his voice, "what do you want with me?"

Mystique let go of his arm and beckoned him to come further away from the mansion.

"No, I'm fine right here, thanks," came his sharp reply. The shape shifter smirked at him.

"Oh, you are a clever one. And that is exactly why I am here."

Pyro watched as her personality and stance completely changed. She no longer was acting like she was inside the manor, and now all of her sexuality and seductive demeanor had vanished. She stood before him like an employer interviewing a hopeful employee, no sparkle in her eyes, no malice- just business.

"I come in the request of Magneto. We have been watching you with increasing interest and we felt that now was the time to act." She stood stiffly in front of John and he began to feel quite uncomfortable. Quickly, he thought of something to say.

"I've interested your leader? And what do I have that you want?" His watchful eyes examined Mystique's as she considered his question.

"You are a powerful mutant, Pyro, there is no argument about that. But you also are in a position that we so greatly need."

John was beginning to understand. They wanted him because he was an 'X-Man'. He already obtained the trust from the other members and it would be easy for the Brotherhood to gain vital information from him whenever they needed. He had to admit, that plan was intriguing, but he decided to wait until he learned more.

The scaled woman studied Pyro as he sorted through his thoughts. He was smart, no doubt, and his current position would be extremely helpful. Magneto would be proud if Mystique pulled this off. Not to mention, she had converted someone else earlier in the week...

Pyro broke her thought. "You want me because of my status, correct?"

Mystique nodded.

"And what would I get out of this partnership?" And then she smiled that trademark smile, her eyes becoming focused orbs of excitement and blatant seriousness.

"Exactly what you just implied- _partnership_. We want the X-Men to fail and you want adventure, acceptance, freedom." She closed the medium gap in between them and stared deeply into his eyes.

"_We can give you that_."

_________________  


Jubilee and Gambit stumbled into the MedLab and fell onto separate tables. Both mutants were injured badly, but nothing that a little medicine and time couldn't heal. Jean Grey hurried into the room from an unseen door and inspected the two on the tables.

"Remy's suffered some cranial damage, possibly a fracture in the Parietal area. Also, one of the Maxillae of his upper jaw have been cracked..."

Gambit's eyebrows knitted together. "Ah, chérie, in a way dat I can un'ers'and, please?"

Jean smiled and rolled her eyes at herself. "Your frontal 'head bones' have taken some damage, and part of your jaw is broken."

Remy smiled. "Oh, is dat it?" Jean found herself smirking in spite of herself. She knew what Gambit's powers were, and they had gotten to her just as they had penetrated every other female that he'd ever come across. Quickly, she got to work on the charming Cajun.

_________________  


Scott and Bobby sat next to Rogue, the latter more worried and anxious. Scott put his hand on Bobby's shoulder.

"She's gonna be all right, Bob. Don't worry."

Iceman only sighed, "I hope so."

Cyclops gave his companion a reassuring smile. "She's a fighter; everything will be okay." This made Bobby grin. His mind wandered back to when Logan had accidentally stabbed Rogue right through her chest- a fatal wound indeed. But being as smart as she was, she latched on to his face and almost killed _him_! Yes, Rogue would be fine.

Jubilee noticed that Jean would not be with her for some time, so she took out the blade that she had tried to use on Mystique. Carefully, she ran her fingers over the length of the weapon and she sighed. She could have had that intruder dead in no time. If the streets had taught Jubilee anything, it was how to permanently dispose of people in your way. Absently, the girl in yellow twirled the knife on her fingers and jumped as a voice suddenly spoke to her.

"Where'd you get the knife, Jubes?"

Jubilee's eyes darted up and met the ruby-quartz lenses of Scott's glasses. She smiled sheepishly, "I... I was just..."

Whatever she had to say barricaded itself inside of her mouth and did not want to be set free. Try as she might, she choked when she tried to speak again. A thought came to Cyclops that Jubilee knew more than anyone else. Something here was not right at all. She had something to say, but was too frightened to let it out.

"Jubes, it's okay; you can tell me." The girl didn't respond so he continued, "Jubilee, people are getting hurt! If you have something to say, you need to tell me." And that sparked Jubilee's brain; she never liked it when people got hurt. Suddenly she cried out in a fit of hysterics:

"Scott, this is all my fault!" She launched herself from the table and into his arms, almost knocking him over.

Cyclops was shocked. "Jubilee, what do you mean, 'your fault'?"

She only buried her face into his shirt more. Her muffled cries spilled into the fabric of his clothing and tears streamed down her face. Scott tried to speak to her, but found himself unable to penetrate her guilty cries.

__________________  


The night air stilled as Pyro's mind processed his options.

'Be an 'X-Man', be in the Brotherhood and _pretend_ to be an 'X-Man'...'

He weighed his options and still found himself unable to choose. Mystique sensed his apprehension and immediately started to speak.

"There are many rewards to this offer, Pyro. You still get to be in the X-Men, if that is what you wish," she mumbled the last part in disgust. "And you also get to be with a whole new group of people who won't confine you to the miserable life that you lead here." The shape shifter gestured around her to prove her point.

John nodded slowly, a question burning into his skull, "Where is Raven?"

The woman only smiled. "If you join us, I will tell you." She circled him and added, "No... I'll _show you_."

John shuddered as he imagined Mystique leading him into a dense forest and showing him Raven's bloody corpse hanging from a tree- Her hands bound, her mouth gagged, her beautiful red hair blending in to the crimson liquid that still flowed from her open wounds. A cold shiver ran down his spine and a silky voice whispered in his ear.

_"Think about it."_

John whipped around to answer, but Mystique was gone.

_________________________________________

*A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you liked the chapter! The story is boiling down to an end, and soon your questions will be answered! :) Hey, would anyone care to read my little fic I wrote about Young Sabe and Toad? It's called: All This For A Diary. It's a humor fic so it should be funny! I guess... Well anyway, I'm off to type up the next chapter!

(And for those of you who are waiting to see more of Gambit, there will definitely be more of him! I hope no one gets mad at me for what I'm planning to do...)


	10. Betrayal

Scott consoled Jubilee and finally got her to stop crying. "Jubilee, _what_ is your fault?" He felt the girl's head leave his chest and noted the undeniable guilt that cloaked her beautiful face. She lifted herself back onto the table and turned momentarily to see Jean and Bobby walk out of the room; her voice shook as she spoke:

"Scott," she whispered, "don't be mad at me. Please don't be mad at me." Cyclops shook his head in disbelief. What could Jubilee possibly have done that would make her act so? Nothing came to Scott as he listened intently to Jubilee's every word.

"I knew her plan, Scott. I knew her plan! I knew everything and I didn't say a word!" She spoke hastily and shook her head furiously in spite of herself.

"Jubilee, calm down! I'm sure you're taking this completely out of proportion..." Scott tried to reason with her, but Jubilee just shook her head. Then to his surprise, she smiled.

It felt as if a hot knife ran down his spine as he watched her lips form an eerie grin. A minute flew by before he was able to speak:

"Jubes, _how_ are you to blame for Mystique's actions?" Then, her once soft eyes turned hard as they connected with Scott's through his visor.

_"Because I'm helping her."_

It took a moment for her words to sink in, but finally Cyclops recoiled a bit and questioned, "Helping her? Jubilee, we saw you fighting her, you had a _knife_! You were..."

Too horrified to go on, Scott let his mouth hang open in surprise. The girl in yellow produced the blade once again and stroked it lovingly.

"You mean this knife?" She wagged it in front of him and could tell that his eyes followed.

He didn't say a word so she continued:

"Oh, Scott, you're so oblivious! Don't you realize what's happening? _Everyone_ has been targeted by the Brotherhood. See, they're _SICK_ of being the odd-man-out and the X-Men on top. Get it? They don't want to be your BITCH _anymore!_"

Finally Cyclops' lungs seemed to work.

"Targeted?"

Jubilee nodded.

"And you're working for the Brotherhood now?" Shock wound its tight grasp around Scott and constricted his windpipe; he could barely take anymore. Jubilee cut the silence:

"Not _for_ the Brotherhood, dear Scooter. _With_. There is a tremendous difference between the X-Men and Brotherhood, you know." She paused for a moment and slid casually off the table, inching her way toward the stunned man.

Cyclops tried to back away from the insane girl, but immediately collided with something large behind him. Quickly, Scott whipped around and saw Remy standing there. How he had moved from his table without Scott knowing was a wonder, but now Cyclops felt like he was safe.

"Remy, Jubilee's telling me that she's with the Brotherhood..." His voice was hastily cut off as Gambit fiercely darted his hand toward his fellow mutant's throat.

Remy stood there with Scott suspended no less than a foot off of the ground, his red-on-black eyes staring menacingly. A smile spread on his lips as he roughly pulled Cyclops closer to him.

_"I know."_

And at that moment, Jean Grey walked back into the room and gasped as she saw the scene before her.

"Gambit!" Jubilee immediately yelled.

Knowing exactly what to do, Gambit used his other hand to whip out numerous cards and send them flying at Jean. Without thinking, Jean whisked up her hand and focused all of her attention on each of the objects, steadying them with her mutation. But that was just a ruse; Jubilee was there in an instant and plunged her knife into Jean's abdomen. The injured woman fell to the floor, grasping her stomach in agony. Fresh, warm blood spilled onto the clean tile floor of the MedLab. Jubilee watched as Scott squirmed in Gambit's hands. It was evident that he desperately wanted to save his fiancé.

_'But oh well,' _Jubilee thought nastily._ 'Things have to change.'_

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_

Pyro lazily kicked up dirt as he made his way back to the mansion. Was he really considering Mystique's proposition? Scratching the back of his neck, he thought about the mysterious blue mutant. Did he have any feelings for her?

"I just met her!" John exclaimed to the darkness. He finished his cry in a thought, 'How can I like her?'

But he supposed if you saved someone's life, you had to feel _something_ for them. But what if she didn't return the emotion? The Brotherhood could just be using him; maybe they only wanted his power or status. There was a lot to consider before he made his decision official.

Before he even opened the door, Pyro knew someone was there. Who, he didn't know, but it was definitely someone that he didn't want to talk to.

It was Storm.

Ororo Munroe was crouched on the floor placing paper towels down on the puddles of blood when he walked in the door. As soon as she heard him, her soft eyes darted toward him but she didn't say a word. Pyro sighed; he supposed it was up to him. Not even bothering with shutting the door, he spoke to the white-haired woman.

"Professor, I know there's a million things you want to say to me and even more reprimanding remarks, but can it wait 'til tomorrow?" He peered at her though weary eyes, but her expression did not change.

"John," he listened to her soft voice as she walked toward him, "I know you don't like to hear people talk about you like they know you, and I know that I am no exception, but maybe you could just hear me out?" Pyro felt himself grow angry by her mere suggestion, but he decided that he had just proved her point. Regardless, he lost control:

"I don't have to listen to anyone! And I _know_ that people think they know everything about me, but they DON'T!" His heavy breathing and blaring eyes still were not enough to penetrate Storm's concern. She just looked at him with poignant eyes.

'Why isn't she talking?' John grew even more furious. She was judging him, and that was all she was doing. Suddenly, he exploded once again:

"Why can't I just be left alone? I don't want anyone around; I don't want people giving me orders; And I don't _need_ to be shunned by a damn woman!" 

And there was his crucial mistake.

Ororo's beautiful eyes narrowed and her soft voice resided no more in her throat. Now a harsh, mordant edge adorned her words.

"I respect your comments, Mr. Allerdyce, but your condescension is _not_ necessary. I wonder when you will grow up and release these childish games of yours?" John was taken aback for a moment but held his guard firm.

"And I _don't_ respect you in any way. So why don't you get out of my fucking face?"

Thunder rumbled through the open door behind Pyro, almost making him jump. Lamps flickered about the mansion and John felt himself become increasingly worried. The whole manor was shaking and his insides reeled with fear. Brilliant bolts of lightning lit up the blackness of the world around the mansion and identical bolts were reflected in Ororo's eyes. She fixated her white eyes on him and he felt that now would be a good time to leave. With one more look at his professor he turned away and ran up the stairs.


	11. Marching into Battle

Jean Grey lay crumpled on the floor, her hands desperately trying to cover up the wound. Fresh blood flowed freely from her body and a nice puddle accumulated beneath her. Her breathing was staggered as she dealt with the pain of the knife that still invaded her body. Jean knew that she was in no position to take the blade out. If she did, it could mean her life, taken away from her from a loss of blood. The injured woman's thoughts now were directed toward her fiancé: what were Jubilee and Gambit doing to him?

She tried to pull herself onto her feet, but her weakened condition forbade it. Realizing that the two other mutants would surely overpower her in hand-to-hand combat, Jean closed her eyes and let her mutation take over.

Suddenly, Jubilee was floating in mid-air; her feet found no purchase on hard ground any longer.

"Gambit, what the hell's goin' on?" Jubilee flailed her arms about but found no way in which to safely reach the floor. In a flash, the girl in yellow violently flew across the room and into a metal table.

_CRASH!_

Jean gave the traitor no time to even scream. Fiercely, she made Jubilee sail into the ceiling and then back down to the floor on a sadistic roller coaster ride. Jean could not watch the girl, but her mind was in tune with Jubilee's, and Jean did not relent. The scene went on for what seemed like forever. Jubilee smacked harshly into every wall that Jean could manage. Soon, bruises formed everywhere on the girl, in seen and unseen places. Jean swore she heard the distinct _crack_ of bones breaking several times; she hoped that this was so.

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St. John threw himself onto his bed. Sleep used to be a peaceful time for the mutant, but now he lied in his bed, staring at the ceiling, thoughts and impossible questions bombarding his mind. Sleep would not be peaceful for Pyro. In fact, sleep would not come at all.

Reluctantly, John sat up and pulled his feet underneath him, sitting criss-cross. His hands hit his head in a second, and John began to cry.

How had he come to this decision? What was everyone expecting him to do? Salty tears fell from his blood-shot eyes and rolled over his trembling lips. Small sniffles escaped his nose as he wiped away stray tears. Slowly, Pyro slid off of the mattress, drying his wet hands on his jeans.

'What am I gonna do?'

The question burned his skull hotter than fire and demanded his immediate attention. It would not let him rest until it was answered. Until then, Pyro would go through hell; the question would make sure of that.

Then, John pushed away that thought. Of course it would not go away, but linger in his mind until the day that he voiced his decision.

He looked up and into a mirror. There he was. Unkempt, disheveled hair falling lightly over troubled eyes. John studied those eyes; they were wise beyond their years, holding scarce amount of innocence if any at all.

_'If any at all,' _He thought darkly. _'If any at all...'_

Pyro studied his reflection further. The face seemed to mock him. The image twisted and distorted, and yet John was still able to make out the grin on the lips.

Suddenly, glass shattered with scattered spurts of blood. Pyro had slammed his fist into the mirror and now stood stiff, watching the blood drip leisurely from his knuckles. Tiny shards of glass stuck to his hand, glittering in the dim light of his room. Taking his eyes off of his fresh wound, John glanced back at what remained of the mirror. The brown frame had cracked in the middle, and large shards of glass poked out from their still-intact places on the frame.

From the largest piece, Pyro found his reflection again. This time, it was _he_ who smiled at the face that peered back at him.

He knew what he was going to do.

From her place at the bottom of the stairs, Ororo heard vociferous sounds coming from somewhere else in the mansion. Hastily, she followed the noises and they led her to the level where the MedLab was located. Cautiously, she inched her way toward the door and listened for any sound of movement; then she heard it again. Someone was screaming and the walls were shaking furiously. Not hesitating any longer, Storm stepped in front of the MedLab door and watched as it smoothly slid open.

The sight before her was not one she cared to witness.

Cyclops was being held at the throat by Gambit; Scott's air supply, no doubt, was being cut off every second. Jean was curled up on the floor, a generous pool of blood spilling around her. And then the most obscure sight: Jubilee, suspended in mid-air, roughly smacking into everything in the vicinity. Storm found her voice and spoke softly, but audibly:

"What's going on here?" Gambit's head snapped toward her and he gave Cyclops a quick shock and threw him over his shoulder. Storm grimaced as she heard a loud _crack_ as Scott hit the wall. Something was not right here.

Without another glance, Storm turned on her heel and ran back down the corridor. Furiously, she hit the elevator button and watched as Gambit gained on her, a malicious look to his eyes. Her adrenaline invaded her body and suddenly, she was afraid for her life.

It seemed like an eternity when the elevator door finally opened. Storm threw herself inside and pounded her fist on a button on the panel. She could hear Gambit's rough footsteps as he neared the elevator. Storm held her breath as the doors started to close.

'Please close,' She thought desperately. 'Please close.' And to her relief, he did not get there in time. The door closed fast just before Gambit could intercept her.

Storm clutched at her heart that beat wildly inside of her chest. What had gotten into Remy? Before she could think any farther, the door opened to let her out and she wasted no time in finding her way to Professor X.

Before Storm even got there, Xavier sensed her presence. Ororo burst through the door and breathlessly explained all that she saw. Xavier's heart leapt, but he did not express his emotions. He only replied calmly:

"Storm, assemble the rest of the X-Men. I have a strong feeling that this ordeal has more behind it than we think." He watched Storm nod and run back out of the door. When she was gone, Xavier couldn't help but think that this was a battle that they could not win.

Storm ran from room to room and pounded on each door. As soon as her fist connected with one door, she was off to the next. Soon, all of the X-Men poured out into the hallways and curiously asked Storm what was going on.

Not leaving anything out, Storm explained everything, and to her relief, every X-Man followed her to the MedLab.

Everyone crammed into the elevator and Storm took note of who all was there: Wolverine, Shadowcat, Iceman, Nightcrawler, and of course, herself. They were a more-than-sufficient crew to take out Jubilee and Gambit, but Storm couldn't help but think about how much greater they would be with Rogue, Jean, Scott, and Pyro on their side.

But as it was, the people that she was with now were their only hope. Most of the students at the school did not have mutations that were fully developed yet, so they would be little to no help. Ororo didn't want the children to get hurt; God forbid any of them died. But Storm was confident.

At all costs, she would fight. At all costs, _they_ would fight.

When the door opened, the X-Men members poured out of the elevator and marched toward the MedLab. With a soft _whoosh_ the automatic door revealed all of them, Wolverine, Storm, Iceman, Nightcrawler, and Shadowcat, each waiting to make their first move.


	12. Epiphany

*A/N: In this chapter, three new characters that are strictly comic book (excluding one) will make their presence known. I don't want anyone to hate me for this! I'm not mentioning either of their names (for those of you that read the comics) to ruin the surprise, but I will say this: The characters are _not_ dead in contradiction to the comics. So I hope you like the chapter!

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The five members of the X-Men glared at Jubilee and Gambit and took their time walking through the entrance to the MedLab. Each person in the vicinity knew that this fight would be gory, bloody, violent, and the most difficult battle they would ever fight. Lives could be lost, hearts could be broken, and then the matter of some of the X-Men joining the Brotherhood was also a predicament.

Wolverine let his adamantium claws slide out of his hands, a look of pure hatred on his face. He was ready to fight.

Shadowcat was nervous and somewhat scared, but she didn't let any of it show. Kitty knew that she must fight for freedom, fight for peace, and most of all, fight for her life. Never did she tear her eyes away from Jubilee as everyone sized each other up.

Storm also had a conflict within her mind. There were no windows in the MedLab; she could not use her power if she could not see the sky. Ororo would simply have to rely on her limited fighting skills.

Nightcrawler on the other hand, decided not to let his thoughts dwell on himself, but on the whole complication of the matter at hand. Why was Jubilee acting this way? Was there an elusive connection between Gambit arriving and the conflict that faced them now? Forcing the thoughts away, he waited with the other X-Men to find the perfect moment to strike. He flicked his long tail behind him, making it clear that he was ready.

Unlike his companions, Iceman did not wish to think at all. The only emotion he felt was sorrow as his eyes scanned the area. If someone didn't get to Jean soon, there was a chance that she would die. Then his eyes darted over to Scott, his body limp and barely rising with each broken breath. In one respect, Bobby wanted to fight. But then on the other hand, he didn't like conflict, and he knew that his friends could be hurt or killed. He just hoped that no one else would be joining in the fight. Lord, did he hope.

Just then, a battered Jubilee began to speak. Her lips curled into a condescending sneer as she spoke:

"Look at you _X-Men_. You think you're so great, standing there _united_. Well, let me tell you something..." The girl walked forward a bit and made sure that everyone was listening.

"The Brotherhood is growing stronger by the day, and the X-Men will soon fall to our will! We have already converted a number of your members." She paused for a moment and stared directly into Bobby's eyes. "And don't worry- we'll take good care of John."

And so it began.

Immediately, Bobby flew forward, his hands grasping tightly around Jubilee's neck. Small choking sounds escaped from her bruised mouth as Iceman pinned her down on the tile floor. Taking this as their moment, the rest of the X-Men ganged up on Gambit, leaving Bobby to take care of Jubilee.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Jubilee? Look what you've done!" Bobby shook her roughly and bashed her head repeatedly on the floor. Jubilee's words were inaudible as she spoke, blood spurted from the cracks in her lips, spraying up at Bobby's face; a small puddle started to form beneath her head. Bobby only felt anger as he continued to shake her.

"Pyro's my friend, and I thought you were too! How dare you!" He lifted himself up and her with him. Bobby was about to freeze her, when a loud fizzing noise filled his ears.

Brightly colored fireworks illuminated the room and threatened to infiltrate Iceman's eyes. Bobby turned away and Jubilee took that moment to jump on his back and push him to the floor.

From the other corner, Nightcrawler whipped around, tripping up Gambit and landing a hard blow to him every once in a while. Gambit didn't put up with the four mutants bashing him and shocked as many of them as he could. Breaking away from his attackers for a brief moment, he removed his trench coat and flung it aside. Kitty crouched and looked as though she were stalking him.

"Oh, let's save that for later Gambit. Don't disrobe yet!" Quickly, the teenager began to kick Gambit, but he raised his own leg to intercept her.

Without thinking, Shadowcat phased through Gambit and ended up behind him. Remy spun around, but now his back was exposed to even more enemies. Logan took this time to thrust his claws toward Remy, but Gambit ducked and flipped Wolverine onto his back. Backhanding Storm, Gambit now focused on Kitty who narrowed her eyes and advanced on him with expert speed.

Nightcrawler, still fending off Gambit, saw that Bobby needed help and came to his rescue. In the blink of an eye, Kurt teleported to his comrade and steadily kicked Jubilee hard in her side making her fly across the room and into a wall; her body made a loud _smack_ as it made contact with the barrier. Bobby and Kurt were about to advance on the girl once more when the MedLab door opened.

Every mutant that was present halted and their eyes' were fixed on the door.

Wolverine, now holding Gambit by the collar, felt his mouth drop slightly as his eyes ran over the newest people to join the battle. The rest of the Brotherhood had come to help their members. Logan glared as he remembered each of their names.

The deceiving temptress, Mystique, stood the closest, her hand poised arrogantly on her hip. Behind her were Sabretooth and Toad both looking equally murderous. The large feline barred his gleaming white teeth and he growled with evident pleasure. The green mutant, Toad, was crouched, his liquid eyes hard and intent. There were three other mutants behind them, all female. Wolverine recognized two of them, but the other's identity completely eluded him. She had an impeccable resemblance to Jean, but... Logan turned his head to where Jean Grey laid, a helpless heap on the floor. If Jean was over there- who was this?

The mutants that he could recognize were Yuriko Oyama, also called Lady Deathstrike, and Elizabeth "Betsy" Braddock, also known as Psylocke. Both were very attractive, Logan noticed.

_'Attractive,'_ he thought darkly, '_but deadly.' _Wolverine tried to understand why Psylocke would be with the Brotherhood, but he supposed that he would ask questions later. That is, when her head was hanging from his middle claw.

Storm gasped as the rest of the Brotherhood came into view. She knew this fight was going to be more difficult than just Gambit and Jubilee, and now it was clear. The Brotherhood really wanted to overthrow the X-Men this time. Suddenly, Ororo caught two familiar faces in the small crowd at the door.

"Oh no," She breathed.

The rest of her teammates turned to her. Shadowcat questioned softly, "Storm, what is it? Who's that other girl?" The white-haired goddess just stood there in disbelief for a moment, her soft eyes becoming horrified.

"I know how they're doing it," She whispered. "That other mutant is Phoenix... Dark Phoenix."


	13. I2: Interludes United

*A/N: Hey everyone! As you can see, Chapter 12 is up, and I wanted to thank all of you AGAIN! Yes, I know, I'm just a hunka-hunka-burnin' love... but what can you do? I just love you all so much! *tear* *tear* Anyway, here we go!

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UbsessedWitFire: I'm soooo sorry that I'm confusing you! I appreciate your reviews and I hope that all of your questions are answered in later chapters! Hehe... I'm glad that you liked my 'Mystique as Raven' ordeal! :) She is a sneaky little bugger, isn't she? And yet again, I scare you! Well, I suppose that's what it's all about. ;)

Tigereyes: You are too funny! I love your reviews... they always make me chuckle! I'm glad that you like my story and I hope you enjoy the rest of the chapters! (Any luck finding a seatbelt? You'll need one for later! I'm planning some more bumps... but ya know, they might only be speed bumps, or they could be volcanoes... you never know.)

Plasma: Yes, Gambit is here! Thank you for the AWESOME comments on the fic! It's great that you enjoy the story! And yes, Mystique is the coolest. I just couldn't resist putting her in my fic... something about her being able to manipulate people so easily is a turn-on for an author, you know? She spices up any fic!

WildWolvie: Uhh... I haven't seen any reviews from you lately! I don't know if you're still reading the story or not! Lol... But I thank you anyway for reading and reviewing as much as you did, and I can only pray that you continue! :)

Orli-Ryro: I completely agree with you... I love reviews with the reviewer's opinions in them. And that's what makes yours especially great! Hehe... You ask so many questions! Let's see... Professor Xavier _may_ be _willing_ to use his powers to make Pyro stay, but he still is a little hesitant. He wants John to make his own decisions, you know? And I think your 'Raven' questions are answered. And just for you, Logan is in the fic! (well, maybe not for you, but hey! Who cares! Lol... as long as Wolverine's in there, it's all good!) Hehe... And GAMBIT! Yes, I just couldn't refuse him in my story. His character will have a somewhat big part, but nothing HUGE like Pyro. Everyone seems to want Rogue to get w/ Remy, but I dunno... I guess it's something you'll have to wait for! 

Nat: You're welcome for thanking you the first time, and now I'm thanking you again while I'm 'you're welcome-ing' you in my 'thank yous'! ROFL... how great is that?! Just between you and me *wink* When I first introduced Gambit, I really didn't have a huge plot for him. But now I've made him a bigger character. And I'm sure that everyone is happy about that! And about the cliffhangers: That's what I'm all about! You've gotta guess what happens next! And you are SO clever about what you said in one of your reviews... ahem... you'll just have to find out.

Pyromaniac: I'm sorry I grossed you out with John and 'Raven'. But ya know, he's a guy and he has his urges. I mean, he's a confused hormonal teenager on the brink of evil! If there was a gorgeous redhead with a similar mutation to you... WHAT WOULD YOU DO?! Lol... It's great that you like the story and I hope that you continue to read!

Beka: I thank you for your comments, and I must assure you: I WILL FINISH THIS BEFORE MAY 2!! Lol... I WILL! BWAHAHAHA! Ahem... Anyway, I'm honored that you like my story and I hope that you keep on reading!

Gaea: Yes, Gambit is here, which made you happy... but you think he won't get together w/ Rogue just because he's with the Brotherhood? Hmm... interesting... :) I appreciate your reviews, and I only hope that this story makes you happy in whichever way I decide to end it. (Or whichever way it decides to end itself... lol.)

Swifty1125: You never have any questions for me, so I have nothing to answer! :( Well, I'm glad that you like the story and I hope that you continue to read! Because, you just _have to_ find out what Pyro does, right??? :) I thank you profusely for your awesome reviews!

SLW: Hey now... sometimes things aren't always as they appear. Don't worry about Bobby. I like him WAY too much to turn him into an asshole. But you know... I think it's up to Rogue to decide on who she wants. Who knows! It may be a crucial part to the storyline... but then again, maybe not. :) Thanks for reading!

Goddess Virgo of the Fae: No problem about reviewing your story! I'm just glad that you like mine! Now you're hooked and you cannot leave! MUAHAHAHA! *cough* yeah... well, thanks for reviewing and read more of my story! ;)

Christy S.: dun Dun DUN! Now you know why Jubilee had a switchblade in her dress! Lol... See, I answered your question, right? I actually came up with that idea right after I read your review. I sat down and thought... 'Yeah, WHY THE HELL did I make Jubilee have a knife?' You got me thinkin', and I think that this storyline is much better now! ;) Who says the reviewers don't write the fiction? 

Ewan is Hot: Hey, LOVE the name. Ewan IS hot! ROFL... Can't wait to see Episode III and... Oh, this is supposed to be a 'thank you' page... uhh.. I appreciate your reviews and I pray that you enjoy reading the story as much as I like to write it! I'm glad that you decided to read my fic; I'm honored! :) 

Chloe: ROFL... you are _funny_. Your last review made me laugh. You say so much in so few words! I just can't express how great it is that someone as uh... _eccentric_ as you is reading my fic! ;) You are awesome and I hope that you continue to read! And I'm taking that when you say my story is 'God' you really mean 'good'! hehe... shocked me for a minute. I was like, 'My Pyro fic is the idol of millions of people on earth? The almighty spirit that people praise and look up to? I'm so honored!' Well, it lasted a couple minutes! :)

Spike Lover: Ooooo! Spike Lover! Very nice, very nice... James MARSTERS is VERY cute and so is James MARSDEN! Hehe... don't you just love the way that works out? I mean, Geez! All hot guys should have similar names so you won't forget them, right? Okay, well maybe not but, you get the gist of it. Thanks so much for reading! YOU ROCK!

B.M. Wraith: Hey you! I'm glad that you like this fic as well as Bloody Brotherhood! I've been kinda disappointed because no one really reviews that story any more. :'( I updated it the other day, and alas, no reviews. *cries* But I'm glad that someone still likes it! :) Well, I'm thrilled that you enjoy this story and I only hope that you continue to read! 

AuroraSkies37: It's great that my story caught your eye. I love getting new reviewers and their opinions of my story! Constructive criticism can only help me grow. But ya know, if there's nothin' wrong w/ my story, then I'm just perfect, huh? Yeah, yeah, yeah... I know... I'm not, but that doesn't mean that this isn't a good story, damnit! Hehe... Anyway, THANK YOU so much for your reviews and I pray that you keep reading!

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*A/N: Wow! Some of your guys' reviews got a tad long... well, most of you! But you all deserve my gratitude and appreciation because... well... you ROCK! And I don't suppose I'm on your favorite author or stories list, right? *looks hopeful* :) 

*I hope that I didn't forget anyone! If I did, tell me and I will take myself outside and unleash a wild pack of weasels upon my naked flesh to eat my rotting corpse...*

PYRO ROCKS! (and Wolverine, and Storm, and Cyclops, and Jean, and Rogue, and Jubilee, and Iceman, and Gambit, and Xavier, and Mystique, and Sabretooth, and TOAD!, and Shadowcat, and Firecat, and Deathstrike, and Psylocke, and Dark Phoenix, and Nightcrawler, and... Oh dear... I've ran out of X-Men from this fic... BooHoo...)


	14. Let the Blood Flow

*A/N: You better have some time to read this, cause this is gonna be a long chapter! * I expect nice reviews for this! ;) * Also, there is some controversy about Ms. Pryor's name... I'm pretty sure I have it right. :)

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Logan furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought. Dark Phoenix? He turned to Storm, dropping the battered Gambit in the process.

"Storm, _who_ is Dark Phoenix?" He almost whispered the question so that the Brotherhood wouldn't hear. Wolverine sneered as Remy's voice laughed at him from the floor.

"Ha! You do non know who Dar' Phoenix is? You fin' ou' soon enough, eh?" Gambit's chuckling became dark and malicious; his red-on-black eyes became murderous. "Non before Gambit get through wit' you though."

In a flash, Gambit spun his body around, letting his legs connected with Logan's. Immediately, Wolverine hit the floor hard and he heard the loud scurrying of feet as the next fight began.

Mystique flipped expertly into the room, her feet colliding with a surprised Nightcrawler. Toad took to the ceiling to launch stealthy aerial attacks; his first target was Kitty Pryde. Toad knew the exact way to land on someone to crush their shoulder blades down and send their spinal cord into their brain. He used this tactic quite often. This little girl was no exception. Silently, he positioned himself above her and leapt.

Just as Toad had jumped from the ceiling, Shadowcat was pushed away by Storm. Ororo had been flung across the room by an enraged Sabretooth, now grinning with uncontained excitement. The loud _thump_ of Toad hitting the ground made Kitty turn around as she saw what she had just been saved from.

'Ooo...' She thought. 'That could have been messy.'

Bobby and Nightcrawler worked together on Jubilee, and now Deathstrike had picked them out for killing. Iceman dodged Deathstrike's violent blows and dove toward Jubilee; the girl, influenced by the force of the impact, smacked into the wall behind her. Bobby took this time to cover her completely in ice. Hastily, he thrust his hands forward and let his mutation do its job.

Brilliant streams of ice shot from Bobby's palms, completely enveloping the girl in yellow. In a matter of seconds, he had finished his task and had barely a moment to duck when Yuriko sliced at his head with her claws. Iceman was caught off guard, but managed to save his head. Yuriko was too fast for him, however, and she landed a smooth roundhouse to his crouched form. Bobby spun in the air and landed on the hard tile floor next to Jean Grey.

Stunned for only a second, Bobby's eyes shot up and saw that Kurt was occupying Deathstrike.

'For the meantime.' Bobby thought darkly. Quickly, he inched his way toward Jean's body and whispered to her:

"Jean, if you can hear me, wake up. We need you!" Iceman waited but Jean's still body did not move. Bobby took note of the large puddle of blood around her and wished that Pyro were there.

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John walked to Professor Xavier's office. Before he left, he had made sure to clean up the broken shards of glass that were still in his hand; the blood was gone now. But no matter how hard he scrubbed, no matter how many pieces of glass he took out, there was still the feeling of dismay. John simply couldn't take it anymore. People were going to get hurt no matter what he did. People might _die_ after he made his decision. In fact, he knew that people would die, possibly his own friends. And to make it worse, he would probably be the one who would kill them.

St. John stopped at Xavier's door and inhaled deeply.

_Inhale_.

_Exhale_.

Pyro gently tapped on the door. A muffled voice from inside addressed him and he carefully twisted the knob.

Xavier sat by a dying fire, his face expressionless. Pyro reached him quickly and kneeled before the man in the wheelchair.

"Professor, I need your help. Counsel me, please." John's voice cracked as he pleaded with his teacher. Xavier didn't say a word so he continued:

"Professor, there is nothing I can do. The Brotherhood wants me, but I'm apart of the X-Men... I don't know what to do! Everyone is mad at me for wanting adventure and anarchy. Why does everyone interfere in my life?" John pounded his fists on his knees angrily.

Xavier's wise eyes turned toward him and John felt a wave of shame cross his face. Xavier had always been his sanctuary- his one person to come to for counseling. And what was John doing? - Insulting him. Pyro felt useless. He felt dirty and disgusted with himself. There was only one thing that came to his mind and he was sure that Professor Xavier did not want to read John's thoughts at this particular time.

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Psylocke landed a perfect kick across Wolverine's face. The member of the Brotherhood had decided to join Gambit in his fight with the X-Man. Logan stumbled backward as the kick connected with his face, but he knew that he mustn't let his guard down. Sensing another kick coming his way, Wolverine unsheathed his claws just as Psylocke's leg was near his head. With one swipe, he tasted her blood that had been freed from her body.

Psylocke screamed in agony. The adamantium claws had dug deep into her flesh and she fell to the floor in a bloody heap. Gambit continued to fight, sending energy charges into Logan, stunning him temporarily. When Remy saw that Wolverine had been crippled for the moment, he grabbed a metal table and took a swing at his enemy.

Logan, however, was one step ahead and vaulted over the table with amazing agility. Using both of his claws, Wolverine lunged them into Gambit's chest and twisted them slightly, making sure that this would be a killing move. He heard Gambit yell out in pain; his eyes became blood red and the crimson liquid began to pour from his new wounds. Some blood squirted into Logan's eyes, but he did not waver. He wanted this enemy to die, and he wanted victory now. Just as Wolverine felt Gambit's hold on him beginning to loosen, Logan was knocked away by a solid flying-kick to his shoulder, which knocked him away from Remy.

Toad flipped in the air and landed in a crouched position. His dark eyes glowed malevolently as he smiled at Logan. The small stubs of teeth that Toad had showed through his green lips as he grinned. Wolverine leaped from the floor. This was the last straw.

This whole time, Dark Phoenix stood in the corner next to the table that the still-unconscious Rogue occupied. Her slender hand touched the other mutant's forehead and she brushed back a piece of Rogue's white hair. Cocking her head slightly, she inspected the girl and curiously ran her eyes over the rest of the room. 

It had been so long since she had seen such a sight. She didn't know whether to help her Brother's or just stay out of the fight. Considering for a moment, she decided to stay where she was, but have a little fun. Using her cloned, yet superior, powers from Jean, Phoenix lifted Iceman and Shadowcat into the air. She watched as the wounded Psylocke began to focus her powers on Rogue. In a moment, the wounded girl lifted into the air and joined Bobby and Kitty.

Wolverine cried out, "What do you think you're doing?" Sweat and blood dripped from his angry face and splashed in silent puddles on the floor. Phoenix turned her head to him, Iceman and Kitty still dangling in midair. Sabretooth had stopped pummeling Storm for a moment, and Ororo ran to Wolverine.

"Logan!" She cried, finally reaching him. It took her a minute to gain her breath, but finally she did and explained the situation.

"Logan, this is Madelyne Pryor. She possesses part of the Dark Phoenix; she is a clone of Jean."

Wolverine stood dumbfounded for a moment, his mouth hanging slightly open. The members of the Brotherhood snickered as the new information was given to him. They all found it rather funny that Logan had been left in the dark. Well, Wolverine certainly did _not_ like this.

"How did this happen?" He asked gruffly. Storm shook her head.

"It is a long story. The main part of it is, Phoenix borrowed apart of Jean and when she came to give it back, Jean's body refused it. Mr. Sinister had made a clone and Phoenix inhabited the clone's body instead of Jean's."

Logan shook his head. How could this have happened?

While Wolverine was thinking, Mystique decided to make the situation even worse.

"So, Wolvie, at least you know that you _and_ Cyclops can each have your very own Jean. She told me she didn't like those orgies anyway..." The smirk on her face grew, as did the rest of the Brotherhood's members'. All of the X-Men grimaced in disgust, but Mystique still retained the playful glitter in her eyes. She knew when to stop pushing, but she never ceased.

Wolverine jumped at the shape shifter and was met with a fierce punch that collided with his nose. Gracefully, Mystique vaulted over his head, grabbing his arms and pulling them over his head. She twisted them backward and heard him yell in pain as she kept bending them behind his body. Wolverine, his blood now boiling, sliced at his attacker but was only met with a hard kick to his spine. The result was painful and Logan could do nothing but fall to the floor, vulnerable to Mystique's next attack.

The blue mutant stood over her opponent; she could smell the sweetness of her victory. Stooping down to Wolverine's neck, she suddenly stopped when the MedLab doors opened one more time.

It was Pyro.

St. John Allerdyce stood in the doorway and glared at no one in particular. He loathed everyone in that room- at least for the moment. He could smell the fresh scent of blood and was not at all shocked to see three X-Men suspended in midair before him. Everyone waited for him to speak. Finally, he did.

"Members of the Brotherhood and X-Men: You want me to choose the impossible, and it seemingly cannot be done." He turned his head to Mystique and saw her yellow eyes glow with curiosity. "Mystique, you offer me everything I've ever wanted, but maybe what I want isn't right."

Then he turned to Bobby who was still crouched over Jean Grey. Bobby's eyes were clouded with tears, and sweat and blood pouring down his face. Pyro choked on his words. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't. With a simple acknowledging nod toward his friend, John reached into his back pocket and produced a single gun.

Every X-Man gasped and tried to run toward him, but Pyro made them stop as held the gun tighter. From the corner, Pyro heard Bobby mumbling to himself, silently pleading with his friend to put the gun down. Storm's soft eyes returned and she stared at her student, mortified. She could not believe what was happening.

The members of the Brotherhood, however, were amused. They were the only ones who could force Pyro into dropping the gun, but they didn't make any such move. The only telepath the X-Men had was unconscious, so they could do nothing but hope that Pyro had some sense still left in him. Madelyne and Psylocke just watched John intently, waiting to see what he was going to do, silently urging him to shoot himself.

Their patience was not in vain. With one last glance around the room, Pyro lifted the gun, pointed it to his head, and pulled the trigger.


	15. Playing With Fire

*A/N: Did you really think I was gonna kill Pyro? Some of you did! For Shame!!

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_Click._

The hollow sound echoed through the silent room as every mutant watched Pyro pull the trigger. It had been a blank.

All of the X-Men breathed heavy sighs of relief as Pyro pulled the gun away from his temple. Storm uncovered her face and wiped away the tears that hindered her beautiful features. Ororo felt weak in the knees and would have fallen if it weren't for Kitty who had caught her. Storm shook in Shadowcat's arms and sniffled helplessly. Why had he scared them like that?

John watched as the X-Men members sighed at the hollow sound. He noticed that the looks on the Brothers' faces were surreptitiously displeased. But he could tell that they were angry- they couldn't hide it from him.

So now he knew who really cared about him. Now he knew that the Brotherhood only wanted him to fight with them, not be their friend or comrade. A sneer crept up on Pyro's face. He felt his blood begin to boil. If that was the way they wanted to be, then let them. It was _his_ turn to play.

Pyro watched as Mystique walked away from Wolverine and made her way toward him. Her hips swung hypnotically, but he tried not to notice too much. She had deceived him. She had manipulated him, and now she was going to die.

The blue-scaled mutant sauntered up to him, making every step seductive and suggestive. If Mystique knew men, _this_ would surely convert Pyro to the Brotherhood. Little did she know that he had plans of his own.

As soon as he saw Mystique walk toward Pyro, Nightcrawler made an attempt to stop her, but Pyro put up his hand and waved him back. Kurt reluctantly backed away, but readied himself to pounce if need be. Silently, as everyone else, he listened to the temptress purr into Pyro's ears. Nightcrawler knew her games and her trickery. He just hoped that John could see past all that.

Mystique gave Pyro ample to feel as she pressed against him, her mouth hovering by his ear. She could sense his anger, his apprehension- and she loved it. Quietly, she whispered into his ear:

"I want you to join us, Pyro. Together, who knows what we could accomplish! Join the Brotherhood, Pyro." Mystique paused for a moment and sneered at his silence. An idea came to her and she pounced on it. "Join us and I will tell you what happened to Raven."

She had his attention.

From the other side of the room, Bobby cradled Dr. Grey in his arms. He tried to keep as much blood as possible inside of her, but he knew she wouldn't last much longer. He begged Pyro silently to come over and close the wound. It would hurt, but John could burn the knife wound closed and Jean might be fine. Bobby prayed that he would catch John's eye and beckon him over. Jean was going to die.

Wolverine still lay on the floor, his spine stinging from Mystique's powerful kick. He raised his head a bit and an immediate pain ran through his body and he had to rest his head back on the floor. In no more than a moment would he be able to stand back up; his mutation had already begun to heal his body. The remaining blood slid down his forehead, over his eyelids, ran down his nose and finally dropped into pathetic pools on the tile.

Carefully, Logan raised himself up as to make sure that no one would translate it as an assault. Experimentally, he bent forward and backward, testing out his spine- everything was in order. His mutation had served him well. Now he watched with a cleared head as Mystique spoke with Pyro. Logan's fighting-will told him to attack but instinct told him to stay where he was. It wasn't up to Wolverine. It was up to Pyro.

As Mystique continued to falsify, John kept his composure. He wanted to drain as much information out of her as possible. Disappointingly, all she was full of were lies.

"We can give you anything you want, Pyro. Say the word and it's yours." Mystique suddenly sensed a wave of rage radiating off of him. If she thought about leaving him alone, she didn't follow her intuition.

Mystique began to speak again, but Pyro had had enough. In a flash, he had his gun up against her abdomen and pulled the trigger.

Treacherous screams were all that he could hear for a moment. Then menacing yellow eyes flashed up into his and fury wrapped its tight grasp around him again. Rapidly, Pyro dove his hand into his pocket and produced his trusty lighter. In no more than a second, a large fireball sat primly in his palm. Mystique looked at him dubiously, but she underestimated him again.

Pyro threw the fireball at the shape shifter before she even had time to act. Then quickly, he threw more burning orbs her way, making a small circle around her so she could not escape unless she wanted to be burnt. The fire danced neatly around her, taller than she, but open a bit in one place so that Pyro was all that she could see.

John stepped up to Mystique's fiery prison and stared her right in the eyes. The traitor simply shook her head and sneered at him. Pyro spoke instead:

"You know what's funny, Mystique? You actually had me goin' there for a while. I give you credit for that, I really do." He stopped for a moment, letting the irony sink into her. Now _he_ was being the sadistic antagonist. And oh how good it felt.

The shape shifter glared at him through the small opening of her blazing prison, holding her stomach in pain. She didn't like when the tables were turned on _her_. Pyro watched as Mystique sank to the floor; her new wound and the heat wore her out and she fell to her knees in a silent heap.

Without looking at the member of the Brotherhood again, Pyro made his way to Bobby. Iceman recoiled a bit when John kneeled to him, but somehow he knew that everything would be all right. John produced his lighter again and made a tiny flame the size of the tip of his little finger. Gingerly, he slid the blade out of Jean's stomach and cast it aside. Then, carefully, he began to trace the gash with his finger; the flame immediately closed the wound, but there would be a scar.

_That was two scars_. John noted. _Two scars that he had caused_.

John stole a quick look at Bobby's face and noticed the scar that he had given him was still there. No doubt it could be taken away, but for now, it remained.

Somewhere else in the room, Sabretooth growled:

"We came here to kill some X-Men!" He glanced around the room and noted his fallen comrades.

Jubilee was unconscious in a corner; Psylocke's leg was still bleeding profusely, Gambit's entire body looked as if it was going to fall apart, and not to mention Mystique appeared to be dead. How had this happened? They even _stole_ some of the X-Men's members and they still hadn't won! Well, as far as Sabe considered, it wasn't over yet. They still had Madelyne, and he knew that _she_ could take them all down.

Sabretooth straightened himself and stepped toward Pyro; his claws were outstretched and he moved to grab John's throat. But quicker than the large mutant could move closer, John set the floor ablaze around Sabretooth, encircling him the same as Mystique. He watched as the felinoid touched the flames experimentally and then immediately retracted his hands.

"Stupid cat," John muttered.

Then, faster than anyone could act, Pyro dove feet first into the flames, kicking Sabretooth to the far end of the fiery circle. Sabretooth immediately caught fire; his loud screams filled everyone's ears. The piercing tone made every mutant clutch their ears in agony as the felinoid burned to death. John simply stood in the middle of the flames, his eyes reflecting the blaze. He kicked Sabretooth's burning legs and spoke to the dying mutant in a low tone.

"Don't you know, Sabe: When you play with fire, you're gonna get burned."


	16. Inextinguishable Flame

The icy wind whipped past Pyro as he sat on the roof of the institute. Pulling his jacket closer to his body, he cursed the freezing weather and pulled his feet underneath him. It had been three weeks since the previous ordeal with the Brotherhood, and almost everything had worked out fine. Almost.

Wiping a stray tear from his chilled face, John thought back to that grotesque night. He had killed two mutants. He remembered Mystique lying dead on the floor, a single hand clutching the bullet hole that he had given her. The crimson puddle that surrounded her matched that of her hair. No one, or anything, could die that beautifully. He was sure. Mystique died as lovely as she appeared the day John had first seen her.

Those yellow eyes would never stare into his again.

Burning Sabretooth alive was not that big of a deal. He didn't even really know the mutant so it didn't tear at his conscious too much. But still, the image of the element claiming the man's life burned itself into John's skull and he would never forget it. He remembered how he hadn't felt any sorrow that night for either of the people that he killed. But now, they were the main things that troubled his mind.

Psylocke, Toad, and Lady Deathstrike left after they realized that this was a battle that they would not win. They might have been hesitant to leave, but they were no fools. They knew when to walk away.

Madelyne Pryor had gently set Bobby, Kitty, and Rogue down. The telepath had no complaints. She explained to them that the Brotherhood had hired her to possess Gambit, as he was the stronger-willed mutant out of him and Jubilee. However, Jubilee _did_ put up a fight when Psylocke tried to control her mind.

Jubilee was not always possessed; she made haste to explain that when John looked at her pleadingly. He wondered if everything they had been through was a lie. And now he knew that it wasn't.

John rubbed his gloved hands together and bowed his head. Gambit was on the brink of death; Wolverine had made sure of that. As of now, Remy was in stable condition and would recover in another week or so. It was possible that if Logan had injured Gambit further, Remy would have died. Toad had just possibly saved Gambit's life.

Now his thoughts dwelled on Jubilee. She had gotten the worst of it all.

Jean had thrown her into every wall imaginable, beaten her against the tile floor, run her into metal tables... It was safe to say that Jubilation Lee was a mess. Many of her bones were cracked. She had had a concussion when Jean was finished with her, but the will of Psylocke had sustained her in battle. Then was the matter that Bobby had frozen her completely. When Jubilee was melted from her icy cocoon, her body was blue and her hair, brittle. For two weeks, John stayed with her by her bedside in the MedLab. He didn't like to see her in pain, and he knew that he had caused it all.

Jean Grey was patched up and given a blood transfusion since she had lost so much. Her already white skin had paled, and she appeared ghostly thin for a couple of days. Jean had lost her appetite and had to be fed intravenously. In a couple of days, however, the doctor was back on her feet, looking very much alive. Scott had stayed with her through it all.

John smirked as the warm thought thawed his mind. Scott and Jean were perfect together. Pyro bowed his head again. He wished that he had someone like that- someone to hold and love for the rest of his life. He wasn't sure if he would ever find someone that could truly share his feelings and emotions. Maybe there was a girl out there that could open her heart to him. But then again, maybe he would be left alone forever.

Ororo Munroe made a terrible fuss over John the past three weeks. She brought him breakfast in bed, took out his laundry for him... the only thing she _didn't_ do was lighten his homework load.

"_It's good for the brain."_ She'd say. John rolled his eyes at the thought of his professor. She was insane, but he loved her all the same. Her bruises were beginning to fade now. Sabretooth had done a great deal on her; she was lucky that she was still alive.

As the wind died down a bit, John smirked as he thought about Kitty Pryde. She had come out of battle with no more than a few scratches. Every time someone tried to harm her, she just phased through him or her, confusing her enemy. Yes, Kitty would be just fine.

Rogue was lucky that no one disturbed her table while she was unconscious. Her broken arm was now in a sling, but she was Rogue, and she never even talked about it except to make a joke once in a while.

Nightcrawler had taken some serious damage from Yuriko in his battle with her. Yes, he could teleport and fight expertly, but Deathstrike was lightning quick, and her claws were sharpened to a fine point. Many gashes adorned Kurt's body, but he was a sport and never complained. He did, however, visit Bobby an awful lot in the MedLab. Bobby had suffered a great deal- emotionally as well as physically. 

Before she left, Psylocke admitted that she had entered Bobby's mind and attacked him using her telepathy. There was no way that he could fight back, so he was vulnerable to her every attack. Bobby was still in the MedLab; he hadn't talked to anyone in three weeks. John hadn't the heart to visit him but once. That one time scared Pyro and he hadn't been back to see Bobby since.

Sliding off of the roof, John brushed himself off and headed toward the front door of the mansion. He laughed as he thought of Wolverine. Of course Logan had been the one to suffer the least damage! His mutation forbade physical wounds to last too long. John shook his head and pushed open the solid oak doors.

Warm, luxurious air greeted him as he shed his coat and gloves. The interior was bright and cheery, with laughter spread around the entire vicinity. John smiled shortly. He was going to miss this.

Quietly, Pyro made his way toward Professor Xavier's office and stopped for a moment. _Was this really what he wanted to do?_ Well, there was only one way to find out. John knocked softly on the door and heard Xavier's soothing voice beckon him inside.

"Ah, John. Is there something I can help you with?" There was a twinkle in Xavier's eyes. He knew damn well what was on John's mind.

Pyro smirked and sat down in a leather chair across from his professor.

"Sir, I've made my decision. I want to go and fend for myself a little while- away from the school. I'll come back but..." John stopped. He struggled with all of his reasons but couldn't find the suitable words to say. 

Xavier only stifled a chuckle and offered, "You want to see if you can make it on your own." John raised his head and looked into Xavier's eyes.

"Yes," He breathed. "That's exactly right. How did you...?" But he had forgotten his professor's powers and laughed in spite of himself. Charles laughed as well.

"No one here is stopping you, Mr. Allerdyce. You are free to leave. But remember," Xavier stopped for a moment, staring into John's eyes; his face was caring and compassionate, "there will always be a place for you here." 

Pyro smiled, got up from his seat, and hugged his professor. This was what he wanted to do, and nothing was going to stop him.

After his short farewells to Charles Xavier, John made his way back up to his room. In a matter of minutes, he had everything he would surely need, and he trotted back down the stairs. Donning his coat and gloves again, he was about to open the door when:

"John!" A familiar southern voice floated into his ears. He smiled and dropped his bags. Turning around, he saw Rogue with a number of other students behind her.

Marie stepped up to him and embraced him affectionately.

"So you're finally leavin', huh?" He nodded somewhat sadly, but Rogue only smiled.

"Good. Now you can see what it's like without _us_! I don't think you'll last a week without me." She stuck up her chin defiantly but couldn't suppress her giggles. "Well, good luck, handsome." Rogue stepped back and let everyone else get their chance to say 'goodbye'.

Kurt stepped up to him and hugged him. "You be careful out there. I don't care how bad-ass you think you are. If you get any trouble," he smacked John on the back, "you don't hesitate to call. You hear?" Pyro nodded and took Kurt's hand that he offered. With that, Nightcrawler backed away and Jubilee stood before him now.

Tears were brimming in her eyes as she slowly spoke to him. She was supposed to be tough, but her heart wrenched as she stepped closer to John.

Pyro could see that she was somewhat nervous about coming closer so he started to speak:

"Jubilee, I'll miss you, and I..." Suddenly, a warm body collided with his almost knocking the wind out of him. Jubilee buried her face in his shirt and hugged him tightly. John wrapped his arms around her and stroked her dark hair.

"Jubes, everything's gonna be okay. Before you know it, I'll be back. Don't worry 'bout it."

Sniffling, Jubilee released him and looked deeply into his eyes. She was going to miss him. She felt John's hand on her chin.

"Keep your head up, Jubes. I don't wanna have to think about you bein' sad while I'm gone, got that?" The girl nodded fiercely and gave him one last hug. God, she would miss him.

Waving goodbye to everyone else that had come to wish him farewell, John turned toward the door again. He started to pick up his bags when a low, whispery voice called his name.

"'Dyce?" 

Pyro felt his eyes fill with tears as he turned around for the last time. There was Bobby.

Bobby- his best friend that was there with him through everything. Bobby- the person that no matter what, he could talk to. Bobby- his friend for life.

John stepped forward and watched as his friend stumbled in his words.

Finally, his weak voice asked, "You were gonna leave without saying goodbye to me?" John's heart sank and he furiously shook his head.

"No, no, no, Bob. I wouldn't think of that. As soon as I would have left, I would have ran back to the MedLab. I couldn't leave without saying 'bye to my best friend." He watched as tears fell from Bobby's swollen eyes. Slowly, he reached out and the two friends embraced.

They stayed that way for who knows how long. The two mutants had remained friends through everything that had happened and their bond could never be stronger. This was a friendship worth keeping. Finally, the two released each other and Pyro stuck out his hand. Smiling, Iceman took it and they shook. A silent promise was made. Pyro would never forget them, and they would never forget him.

Without another word, John picked up his bags, walked through the door, and closed it behind him. Now it was just him and the world. Whatever challenges arose, he would conquer them. Whatever ordeal decided to hinder him, he was sure that he would overcome it. But no matter _what_ might befall him, he would never forget his true friends.

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*A/N: I hope you enjoyed the story, but I'm afraid all good things must come to an end. Do I sense a sequel? Weeeeeeell... maybe. Does anyone want me to make one? Anyway, thanks you SO much for reading and reviewing! :)


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